Vladimir Putin Issues Nuclear War Threat, Pulls Back from Arms Control Deal with West

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that he would suspend his country's membership in a nuclear arms deal and threaten to resume nuclear weapons testing.

Putin delivered a defiant state-of-the-nation address in which he blamed the West for the Ukraine crisis one year before the anniversary of the invasion he ordered.

Russia-US Nuclear Arms Control Deal

Putin spoke before a gathering of 1,400 people in Moscow on Tuesday, addressing members of both chambers of parliament, military leaders, and troops. At the same time, video screens were also set up in the country's major towns. In addition to warning the West of a worldwide clash, Putin attempted to explain the invasion by stating that it had been imposed upon Russia and that he felt the suffering of the families of the slain.

In addition, Putin announced that Russia would suspend its participation in the New START pact, the last main pillar of post-Cold War nuclear weapons limitation between Moscow and Washington that restricts their strategic nuclear arsenals. Putin stated that Russia must be prepared to conduct nuclear tests if the United States decides to do so. Global countries encouraged Russia almost immediately not to withdraw from the deal, as per Al Jazeera.

"The announcement by Russia that it's suspending participation is regrettable and irresponsible," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated.

The 2010 New START pact, signed in Prague, limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that Russia and the United States may deploy. It also limits the number of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers that may be used to deliver the warheads.

According to analysts, Russia possesses the world's greatest nuclear arsenal, with nearly 6,000 warheads. Russia and the United States possess around 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons, enough to destroy the earth several times. In a press conference with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and EU's foreign policy leader Josep Borrell, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned Putin's remarks and asked Russia to rethink.

In January, a United States Department of State representative stated that Russia "is not fulfilling its commitment under the New START Treaty to permit inspection efforts on its territory." During Putin's speech, he accused the United States and other Western nations of starting the war and releasing "the genie from the bottle" even though he was speaking just three days before the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians.

His presentation occurred one day after President Joe Biden's unannounced trip to Ukraine. He committed an additional $500 million to help the war-torn nation and unveiled a slew of fresh sanctions against Moscow. On his first visit to the country since the outbreak of war, the President of the United States met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the presidential palace before touring Kyiv.

Biden talked of the United States' "unwavering support" for Ukraine, stating that "the President of the United States needed to be present on the day the onslaught began. During the visit, Biden committed a half-billion dollars in further military help, including artillery ammunition, extra javelins, and additional Howitzers, as per The Independent.

The United States is also imposing new sanctions on Russian leaders and businesses. Biden departed Kyiv and traveled to Poland, where he would engage in discussions with European allies and give statements about US support for Ukraine.

Russia Failed to Test Missile

Meanwhile, according to two US officials with knowledge of the situation, Russia conducted a failed test of an intercontinental ballistic missile around the time Biden was in Ukraine on Monday.

One official stated that Russia informed the United States before the launch via deconfliction channels. A second official stated that the test posed no threat to the United States and that the United States did not consider it as an aberration or an escalation.

According to authorities, the test of the powerful SARMAT missile, known in the West as Satan II and capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, looks to have failed. It has been successfully tested in the past, and if this test had been successful, US officials think Putin would have mentioned it in his Tuesday State of the Nation speech.

Putin did not mention the launch during his one-hour and 45-minute-long address. The timing of the test implies that the United States and Russia were speaking via many channels earlier this week to deconflict - National security advisor Jake Sullivan said on Monday that US authorities informed the Russians about the President's journey to the Ukrainian capital on Sunday night, hours before Biden's arrival.

Putin has previously declared successful ICBM testing, notably in April, only months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to Russian official media, this test was also for the SARMAT missile, which was introduced in 2016 and had a range of over 11,000 kilometers (6,835 miles).

The missile is meant to replace the R-36M Voevoda ICBM and can carry a 100-ton payload. At the time, Western analysts viewed the 2022 test as "nuclear saber-rattling" and an attempt to deflect attention from Russia's military setbacks, such as the sinking of its Black Sea flagship, the Moskva.

According to CNN, former Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the 2022 test was "regular and predictable." It was not a danger to the United States or its allies." Many top US officials have stated that the Russian military has suffered multiple major fighting setbacks in Ukraine over the past year and has mostly "failed" to achieve its strategic objectives there.