Putin: Disclose Missile Defence Plans - Nuke Deal Held Up

Surprised? It was to be expected after the US have been so persistent with their missile defence program and refused to give it up or modify it.

Putin has been rather patient and good willed for the past 15 years.

Now China and India will follow suit with their own missile defence program and South Korea, Japan, and Western Europe will be in the middle and the first to get hit as well. 

The US will never learn.

Every Muscovite knows Putin runs the show, it may be a different diaper, but the shit is still the same.

Yep it's called political expediency.

Since the missile defence plans for the Czech Republic and Poland were dropped earlier this year and the U.S. announcement of increased missile defence shields here, they believe the balance of regional nuclear arms is unsteady.  Whether the statements by Putin are meant to exhibit his pre-emptive political control over Medvedev is speculative, but certainly a possibility which turns this into political posturing and an internal power struggle.

a211423 the way I read the restriction from the Russian constitution is that Putin after missing one term is eligible to run for election in 2012.  At that time a term will be 6 years, which could give Putin a total of 12 years.

Thank you cowpoke for the clarification.

Then it's for sure a political ploy by Putin. 

US rejects Russian missile shield concerns The United States has rejected fresh concerns raised by Moscow about its planned missile defence system. The State Department statement came after Russian PM Vladimir Putin said the US plans were holding up a new nuclear disarmament treaty. Putin Sounds Warning on Arms Talks New York Times

Vladimir Putin Threatens Barack Obama's Nuclear Stockpile Cuts -- The Telegraph

President Barack Obama's drive for the US and Russia to agree cuts in nuclear weapons is under threat after Vladimir Putin insisted the US abandons its missile shield before a final deal can be reached.

The Russian prime minister threatened to scupper one of Mr Obama's key foreign policy successes following his initial agreement with President Dmitry Medvedev at the G20 summit in London in April.

In a notable toughening of rhetoric, Mr Putin insisted his country would develop new "offensive" weapons systems before it considered cutting nuclear warheads. He said the new weapons were necessary to prevent America's leaders from thinking they can "do whatever they want".

Read more

More News On U.S. - Russia Nuclear/Missile Defense Negotiations

Putin Sounds Warning on Arms Talks -- New York Times
US rejects Russian missile shield concerns -- BBC
US blamed for nuclear treaty delay -- ABC News (Australia)
Putin Urges US to Provide Missile Defense Information -- Voice of America
U.S. missile shield holding up nuclear deal: Putin -- Reuters
Vladimir Putin Condemns U.S. Nuclear Defense -- New American
Russia to continue offensive arms to balance U.S. shield - Putin -- RIA Novosti
Putin: Russia to develop offensive weapons to keep balance with U.S. -- CNN
Vladimir Putin calls for more weapons to stop America doing 'whatever it wants' -- Times Online

More News On Russian PM Putin's Remarks

Why Prime Minister Putin may be throwing a wrench in US-Russia arms talks -- Christian Science Monitor
Vladimir Putin threatens Barack Obama's nuclear stockpile cuts -- The Telegraph
Vladimir Putin: U.S. plans for missile defence shield are blocking agreement on reduction of nuclear weapons -- The Daily Mail
Putin: We’ll Overwhelm U.S. Missile Shield. (But Thanks for the Concessions, Barack!) -- The Danger Room
Putin to Obama: Thanks for those missile-defense concessions but we’re going ahead with new weapons -- Allah Pundit
“Reset” on START Needs Another Reset -- Heritage Foundation

He is very blunt in his message .... he has sized up President Obama and his focus is to now threaten an arms race with the U.S.. Some in the U.S. media are speculating that this is a negotiating ploy .... unfortunately these pundits and reporters are not reading the Russian press. Russian Prime Minister Putin is dead serious in his determination to build up Russia's offensive capability, and while he is playing to a Russian domestic audience for election purposes, he has always been straight when it came to Russian security issues. Coupled with little if any respect thet he and many in the Russian Government have for President Obama and his administration .... it should be clear that the Russians are now going down a different path (opposite) from the U.S.

I tend to agree with Barry here, that Moscovites know who the man in charge is.  Medvedev had to fill the gap until the big man can get elected again.

Putin already served two terms.  Will they have to change their laws in order for him to be elected again?  He couldn't run for a third term in 2008 because of their laws. 

I would tend to believe that:)

Good for you, does that mean that Putin is not going to run in 2012?  I didn't talk about internal strife.  Of course Medvedev and Putin work in tandem, duh.   Putin couldn't run for a third term without a break. 

She just might be.  You don.t really think she gave up her aspirations to be President?

Clinton wasn't Commander in Chief in first place, Putin was and couldn't run for a third term.  This is a mute argument, in any case, let's see what happens in 2012.

Thanks snuffy for all the background information and keeping on top of this story.