Putin says Russia may build stockpile if New START treaty founders

[babylonsister]

Putin says Russia may build stockpile if New START treaty founders
The Russian prime minister, on CNN, says the deal is in the U.S. interest. But if Congress fails to ratify the treaty, Moscow may build up its nuclear stockpile instead of reducing it.
December 01, 2010|By Sergei L. Loiko, Los Angeles Times


Reporting from Moscow — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, his confident bluntness on full display, has declared Russia might build up its nuclear weapons instead of reducing them if the New START treaty arranged with the Obama administration is not ratified by Congress.

If the treaty is held up by U.S. legislators showing "a very dumb nature" then Russia will "have to react somehow," Putin said in an interview with CNN's Larry King scheduled for broadcast Wednesday.

Putin said the treaty, which calls for reducing the maximum nuclear warheads in each country from 2,200 to 1,550, is in the best interest of the United States.

He emphasized the importance of both the treaty and Russia's bid to become an equal partner in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's plan to build a European missile defense system.

more...

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/01/world/la-fg-russia-putin-20101202

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Republicans don't see this as a "minus".

Their weapons manufacturers who lobby and donate to them will have lots of products for the Pentagon to purchase.