BERLIN: US President Barack Obama yesterday called on Russia to agree strategic nuclear weapons cuts of up to a third and to also rein in strategic atomic arms.
In a keynote speech in Berlin, Obama also said he would lead two new Nuclear Security summits in his second term.
“These are steps we can take to create a world of peace with justice,” Obama said, addressing thousands at the city’s iconic Brandenburg Gate.
Under the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty negotiated with Moscow during Obama’s first term, the two former Cold War foes cut strategic nuclear weapons stocks to the 1,550 level.
A one-third cut in the arsenals would take them to the 1,000 weapons mark.
Russia has previously resisted cuts to the number of tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Europe, and President Vladimir Putin said ahead of Obama’s speech that Russia will not allow an imbalance in strategic nuclear deterrence.
“We cannot allow the balance of the system of strategic deterrence to be disturbed or the effectiveness of our nuclear force to be decreased,” Putin was quoted by Russian agencies as saying.
A top Kremlin aide also said Russia wanted other states to commit to nuclear cuts.
Obama has made cutting nuclear weapons stocks a centrepiece of his political legacy and is in theory committed to eradicating them all together.
Russia and the United States together hold about 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, with Russia’s total inventory of 8,500 warheads slightly surpassing that of 7,700 in the US, according to the latest available figures.
As of early 2013 Russia’s total nuclear inventory is about 8,500. There are 4,500 nuclear warheads in the military stockpile and about 4,000 retired but largely intact warheads that await dismantlement, according to the May/June 2013 report by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists published in the United States.
A total 1,800 strategic warheads are on missiles and at bomber bases; 700 strategic warheads are in storage; 2,000 non-strategic warheads are in storage.
ICBMs: Russia deploys 326 intercontinental ballistic missiles with about 1,050 warheads. This force is scheduled to change as Russia plans to retire over half of its ICBM force, mainly the 140 SS-25 missiles, also known as Topol, made in the late 1980s.
SLBMs: Russia has a total of 624 submarine launched ballistic warheads and deploys 160 missiles on ten submarines in the Russian fleet. This year a new Borei-class ballistic missile submarine entered into service in the Russian Navy’s Northern fleet, putting the total number of ballistic missile submarines in the Russian navy to ten. They carry a total of 160 missiles with up to 624 warheads.
BOMBERS: The strategic offensive forces also include warheads on 72 Tupolev heavy bombers that could carry an estimated 810 weapons. However this figure has not been officially updated since 2009.
Russia’s tactical nuclear force has approximately 2,000 warheads for delivery by air, navy and other defensive forces, including about 730 air-to-surface missiles and bombs, and ABM systems around Moscow. The total number of the so-called nonstrategic nuclear weapons at Russia’s disposal has not been officially updated since 2005.
The Russian defence ministry does not disclose figures of its nuclear stock, but informs Washington as part of the two countries’ informational exchange. The information is then published by US-based organisations.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists estimates the total number of nuclear warheads in the world to be 17,300. France is the third biggest nuclear power with 300 warheads, followed by China with 250 and the United Kingdom with 225.
AFP
