Putin calls Trump’s national security strategy ‘ aggressive’
Russian president alleges U. S. violated Cold War pact
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called President Trump’s new national security strategy “aggressive” and claimed the United States and NATO are engaged in a major military buildup on Russia’s borders.
“TheU. S. has recently unveiled its new defense strategy. Speaking the diplomatic language, it is obviously offensive, and, if we switch to the military language, it is certainly aggressive,” he said, according to the state- owned TASS news agency.
“Wemust take this into account in our practical work,” he said.
Trump announced Monday the new National Security Strategy, which singles out China and Russia as two countries that “challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity.” In his speech, the president referred to both countries as “rival powers.”
Putin, speaking at a Russian defenseministry meeting outside Moscow, criticized what he called the creation of “offensive infrastructures” in Europe and pointed towhat he called violations of the 1987 treaty on the elimination of intermediaterange and shorter- range missiles.
The intermediate- range Nuclear Forces treaty was signed by Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and President Reagan.
The Russian leader alleged the U. S. missile defense sites inRomania containing interceptor missiles also could house ground- to- ground intermediaterange cruise missiles, which would be in violation of the Cold War pact.
He added that U. S. launches of target vehicles as part of tests represented another violation of the pact that bans all land- based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range between 310 miles and 3,410 miles.
Putin said Russia’s Defense Ministry “should take into account” Western military strategies, adding that “Russia has a sovereign right and all possibilities to adequately and in due time react to such potential threats.”
“Any change in the balance of power and military and political environment in the world should be monitored very carefully, namely near Russia’s borders and also in the strategically important regions for our security,” he said.
He said Russia’s current nuclear forces provide reliable strategic deterrence but added, “we need to further develop them.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told the gathering that NATO had doubled the number of its military drills since 2012 near Russian borders.
He added that the number of NATO servicemen deployed in the area had jumped from 10,000 to 40,000 in three years, according to state- funded RT news agency.