Russian Nuclear Weapons: Past, Present, and Future

etween signaling Moscow’s seriousness and avoiding
an action that might provoke more escalation than
the Russian Government is actually seeking. 51
Russia’s nuclear weapons also play an important
role in ensuring Moscow’s status as a significant global
player. During the 1990s, Russian strategists vigorously
debated the importance of maintaining a robust
nuclear deterrent. 52 A minority argued that, in the
post-Cold War world, nuclear weapons had lost much
of their military utility, and hence Russia should concentrate
on developing its conventional forces. The
majority, however, continued to view Russia’s nuclear
arsenal as an essential instrument for preserving
its status as a great power, especially since the other
nuclear powers showed little inclination to relinquish
their own arsenals.
The 1968 NPT formally designates Russia as one of
the five countries legally permitted to possess nuclear
weapons for an indefinite transition period leading to
global nuclear disarmament. The long-standing strategic
nuclear arms control negotiations between Moscow
and Washington help confirm Russia’s equality
with the United States in an important security dimension.
When asked why Russia deserved to be in
the G-8, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a January
31, 2006, press conference that:
the G-8 is a club which addresses global problems and,
first and foremost, security problems. Can someone
in this hall imagine resolving, shall we say, problems
concerning global nuclear security without the participation
of the largest nuclear power in the world, the
Russian Federation? Of course not. 53
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