![\"Putin](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Putin-warns.jpeg\")
<\/a>The world is facing a rising threat of a nuclear war because of the U.S. pullout from arms control treaties and its destabilizing military plans, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday<\/span><\/p>\nSpeaking at his annual news conference, Putin warned that \u201cit could lead to the destruction. of civilization as a whole and maybe even our planet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Russian leader added that even though a nuclear conflict now seems impossible to most, the danger is close and real.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are witnessing the breakup of the arms control system,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n He pointed at Washington\u2019s intention to walk away from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and its reluctance to negotiate the extension of the 2010 New START agreement. U.S. officials say the withdrawal from the INF was prompted by Russian violations of the treaty, but Moscow vehemently denies any breaches.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe will have to ensure our security,\u201d Putin said during the news conference that lasted nearly four hours. \u201cAnd they shouldn\u2019t squeak later about us gaining unilateral advantages. We aren\u2019t seeking advantages, we are trying to preserve the balance and ensure our security.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Russian leader also scoffed at Western allegations that he is reaching for global domination, rejecting them as part of a smear campaign driven by domestic policy.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAs for ruling the world, we know where the headquarters trying to do that are located, and the place isn\u2019t Moscow,\u201d he said, noting that the Pentagon\u2019s annual budget of over $700 billion dwarfs Russia\u2019s defense spending of $46 billion.<\/span><\/p>\n He dismissed claims that Russia is interfering abroad, from a nerve agent poisoning in Britain to an alleged effort to infiltrate the U.S. National Rifle Association, charging that those accusations are part of U.S.-led efforts to paint Russia as a bugaboo to strengthen the Western allies\u2019 unity.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey need an external threat to cement NATO unity,\u201d Putin said, accusing the U.S. and its allies of exploiting \u201cphobias of the past\u201d to achieve domestic political goals.<\/span><\/p>\n Russia\u2019s hopes for repairing ties with the U.S. under President Donald Trump have fizzled amid allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election \u2014 charges Putin has denied.<\/span><\/p>\n He noted that he\u2019s still keeping the door open for a meeting with Trump, but added that the prospect for that looks increasingly dim in view of the Democrats winning control of the House.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou can predict new attacks on the president with 100-percent probability,\u201d Putin said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if he could engage in a direct dialogue with Russia in such conditions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He charged that that the continuing U.S. political infighting reflects a \u201clack of respect for voters\u201d who elected Trump. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to acknowledge his victory and do everything to delegitimize the president,\u201d Putin added.<\/span><\/p>\n He insisted that a Russian woman in U.S. custody has not carried out any mission for the Russian government, even though she pleaded guilty earlier this month to acting as a covert agent of the government. Putin claimed that Maria Butina \u2014 accused of trying to infiltrate the NRA and American conservative circles around the time of Trump\u2019s election \u2014 made the guilty plea because of the threat of a long prison sentence in the case, which Putin described as fabricated.<\/span><\/p>\n Amid a litany of complaints over Washington\u2019s policies, Putin had one nice thing to say about the United States: He welcomed Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw the U.S. military from Syria.<\/span><\/p>\n The U.S. \u201chas done the right thing,\u201d Putin said, reaffirming the long-held Russian argument that the U.S. presence in Syria is illegitimate because it wasn\u2019t vetted by the U.N. Security Council or approved by Syrian President Bashar Assad\u2019s government. The pullout is also likely to strengthen Russia\u2019s role in Syria\u2019s future.<\/span><\/p>\n He showed no sign of backing down from Russia\u2019s stance on Ukraine, accusing his Ukrainian counterpart of provoking a naval standoff with Russia to boost his electoral prospects. The Russian coast guard fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and 24 seamen when they tried to sail from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov in what the U.S. and its NATO allies condemned as unjustified use of force by Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n Turning to nuclear weapons, Putin warned that if the U.S. puts intermediate-range missiles in Europe after its planned exit from the INF Treaty banning them, Russia will be forced to take countermeasures.<\/span><\/p>\n He noted that the U.S. also appears to show little interest in extending the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, which expires in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou aren\u2019t interested? You don\u2019t need it? OK, we will survive,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will ensure our security; we know how to do it. But it will be very bad for the whole of humankind, because it would take us to a very dangerous area.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Russian president pointed at Western defense analysts discussing the possibility of using low-yield nuclear weapons, warning that its authors naively believe in a limited conflict involving smaller weapons. \u201cLowering the threshold could lead to a global nuclear catastrophe,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Putin also emphasized that the U.S. pondering the use of ballistic missiles with conventional warheads represents another deadly threat. He argued that the launch of such a missile could be mistaken for the launch of a nuclear-tipped one and trigger a nuclear retaliation.<\/span><\/p>\n