JRL NEWSWATCH: “For Putin, economic and political reality dampen appetite for arms race” – Reuters/ Andrew Osborn

“With his ratings down and state funds needed to hedge against new Western sanctions and raise living standards … Putin cannot afford to get sucked into a costly nuclear arms race …. Alleging Russian violations, Washington said … it was suspending its obligations under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and starting the process of quitting it …. That raises the prospect of a new arms race …. Putin responded by saying Russia would mirror the U.S. moves by suspending its own obligations and quitting the pact. … But Putin … did not announce new missile deployments, said money for new systems must come from existing budget funds and declared that Moscow would not deploy new land-based missiles in Europe or elsewhere unless Washington did so first. …”

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