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June 17, 2015

Russia to Add 40 Ballistic Missiles to Nuclear Arsenal 
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Russia has announced plans to increase its nuclear arsenal. On Tuesday,
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his government will add more than
40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles this year. Speaking in
Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused Russia of
nuclear "saber rattling."

Jens Stoltenberg: "This nuclear saber rattling of Russia is unjustified,
it's destabilizing, and it's dangerous. And this is something which we
are addressing, and it's also one of the reasons why we now are
increasing the readiness and the preparedness of our forces. And we are
responding by making sure that NATO also in the future is an alliance
which provides deterrence and protection for all allies against any
threat."

The Russian move comes just days after it was revealed the Pentagon has
drafted plans to store heavy weaponry including tanks in Eastern Europe
for the first time since the end of the Cold War. The New York Times
reports the plan would see enough weaponry for as many as 5,000 soldiers
stored across several countries, from Estonia to Bulgaria and Poland.
Russia has urged the U.S. to abandon the potential move, saying it would
violate a 1997 agreement in which NATO pledged not to deploy a major
troop force near Russian borders.

 

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