12.12 Putin Says Bids to Gain Military Dominance Over Russia Futile

MOSCOW, December 12 (RIA Novosti) – President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday against foreign powers seeking to secure a military advantage over Russia and said any attempts to destroy the existing global strategic balance would be futile.

Speaking in his annual State of the Nation address, Putin dismissed arguments that the proposed European missile shield is defensive only and described it as having a strategically offensive potential.

Russia has bristled in recent years at what it perceives as attempts by Western nations to undermine its national defense strategy and has sounded an increasingly bellicose note in resisting that trend.

Putin said that Russia is closely monitoring the development by some countries of new, fast-strike weapon platforms capable of hitting high-priority targets around the globe.

“The increase by foreign countries of their strategic, high-precision non-nuclear systems potential and boosting missile defense possibilities could ruin earlier reached agreements on nuclear arms control and reduction, and lead to the disruption of the so-called strategic balance,” Putin said.

“No one should have illusions over a possibility of taking military advantage over Russia,” he said. “We will never allow this.”

Putin said Russia’s military has sufficient potential to respond to all challenges and ensure national security.