In Moscow, the Russian capital, Russian President Vladimir Putin listened to people’s questions during the program. In response to public questions on live TV and radio programs, Putin said that the Russian army will be equipped with more "Baiyang-M" multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missiles, and new strategic weapons are being developed. Russia will add a strategic nuclear submarine in 2008 and start production of the fifth generation fighters in 2015. Xinhua news agency

　　　　Russian-made latest Baiyang M mobile strategic missile (data)

　　　　A few days ago, the "2+2" talks between Russia and the United States (that is, the foreign ministers and defense chiefs of both sides) ended without results. When meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Gates, President Putin expressed strong dissatisfaction with Washington’s insistence on deploying anti-missile systems in Eastern Europe, and explicitly threatened to withdraw from the Treaty on the Reduction of Short-and Medium-Range Missiles (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty for short). Russian media reported on October 17 that the obstinacy of the United States is likely to drag the two countries into a new arms race.

　　　　Putin issued an "ultimatum"

　　　　The article in the Russian Communist Youth League Pravda reminded that Russia had previously indicated that it might withdraw from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, but this time Putin’s tone was even tougher and sounded more like an "ultimatum". Moreover, Russia has every reason to do so.

　　　　First, the participating countries of the Treaty are only the United States and Russia at present, but many countries in Eurasia, including some countries not far from Russia, have or are developing medium-and short-range missiles. Russia must consider this dangerous factor and find out corresponding defense measures to avoid the embarrassing situation that only nuclear warheads can be used without medium-and short-range missiles when there are small military targets to be attacked.

　　　　Second, the United States insisted on building new anti-missile facilities in the Czech Republic and Poland, which forced Russia to seek necessary countermeasures. If Russia resumes the production of short-and medium-range missiles, it can deploy them on the western border and even on the warships of the Baltic Fleet and the Northern Fleet. They can not only point to American anti-missile positions, but also aim at all military bases in Europe.

　　　　Third, the United States and its NATO allies have not ratified the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe until now, which leads to Russia’s military presence in the European continent far below that of the NATO bloc. NATO countries bound Russia’s hands and feet with treaty obligations, resulting in the deployment of Russian troops in two dangerous directions in the west and south, which is inconsistent with the growing military threat.

　　　　Withdrawing from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty can compensate the strategic balance that is unfavorable to Russia at present, and enable it to build national defense according to actual needs.

　　　　"We kept the drawings and production process."

　　　　Since 1991, the Soviet Union (Russia) has destroyed 1,846 short-and medium-range missiles with a range of 500-5,500 kilometers, while the United States has destroyed less than 1,000 missiles. In other words, Americans cheated the Kremlin in this game. However, Russia, which has a strong military production capacity, believes that it is not too late to wake up.

　　　　Therefore, Putin’s threat to quit Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is not a joke, nor is it a sounding balloon aimed at spying on the enemy, nor is it an empty diplomatic intimidation and political trick. For Russia, this has both realistic demand and realistic foundation, and the current economic and technical situation allows it to re-emerge in the field of short-and medium-range missiles.

　　　　Admiral Nikolai Solozov, commander of the Russian strategic rocket army, once said: "We have kept the drawings and production technology." Military personnel also confirmed that "the old documents have not been eaten by rats". Obviously, this refers to the "pioneer" medium-range missile with a range of about 4700 ~ 4800 kilometers; If necessary, the range and ammunition load of the new iskander tactical missile can also be increased to play the role of a medium-range missile.

　　　　The European continent smells the cold war again.

　　　　The article in Pravda of the Communist Youth League also stressed that if Russia withdraws from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the United States will certainly take the same steps and resume all kinds of missiles restricted by the treaty. Compared with Russia, Americans have another convenience, that is, they didn’t destroy warheads, but just stored them.

　　　　If the principle of "answer blows with blows" is followed, the Americans will re-transport the short-and medium-range missiles to Europe, so that the missile confrontation on this old land can be restored to the level of 25-30 years ago, and people will once again feel the cold war atmosphere that has been gradually forgotten. What follows may also be a new round of arms race that everyone does not want to see, and all this depends on whether the United States continues to develop its anti-missile plan.

　　　　When the United States announced the construction of anti-missile facilities in Eastern Europe, the Kremlin expressed strong opposition, and after failing to stop it, it adjusted its strategy, trying to bring the American plan into Moscow’s controllable range by sharing the Gabarra early warning radar station in Azerbaijan, but it was rejected again.

　　　　According to Russian media analysis, the threat of withdrawing from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is Moscow’s last warning to Washington: either find a common language on the anti-missile plan and the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, or face a new cold war threat. This means that not only the US anti-missile system is deployed, but all NATO countries will become targets of Russian missiles. (Zhang Zhuli)

Editor: Liu Li