DefenceTalkUS officials on Monday called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilize his nuclear forces “dangerous” but said they had not seen any indication of any change in the country’s strategic threat. Officials also said that Russian troops in Ukraine continue to move ahead slowly, hampered by fuel supply issues, and downplayed reports that the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-studying-putin-nuclear-order-78179/

DefenceTalkRussian President Vladimir Putin ordered his defence chiefs to put the country’s nuclear “deterrence forces” on high alert Sunday and accused the West of taking “unfriendly” steps against his country. International tensions are already soaring over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Putin’s order will cause further alarm. Moscow has the world’s second-largest arsenal of nuclear […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-orders-nuclear-forces-on-high-alert-78132/

DefenceTalkPresident Vladimir Putin will on Saturday oversee military drills involving Russian “strategic forces” which will include ballistic and cruise missile launches, the defence ministry said. News of the drills come as Russia announces the pullback of troops from around Ukraine, a force that had driven concerns in the West — particularly Washington — that Moscow […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-to-oversee-russian-strategic-missile-drills-77988/

DefenceTalkRussian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron Saturday that accusations Moscow plans to attack Ukraine were “provocative speculation” and could lead to a conflict in the ex-Soviet country. Putin and Macron discussed what Moscow called “provocative speculation related to an allegedly planned Russian ‘invasion’ of Ukraine,” the Kremlin said after phone talks. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-tells-macron-invasion-claims-are-provocative-speculation-77938/

DefenceTalkA group of US lawmakers on Tuesday called for pre-emptive sanctions on Russia and expanded arms shipments to Ukraine, fearing that action so far may not dissuade President Vladimir Putin from invading. After a weekend visit to Ukraine, the three lawmakers — all military veterans — said they were convinced Putin was serious about an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-lawmakers-urge-pre-emptive-sanctions-ukraine-arms-to-deter-putin-77589/

DefenceTalkRussian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in India on Monday for just his second overseas trip since the pandemic, seeking to bolster military and energy ties with a traditional ally being courted by Washington. In its efforts to address a rising China, Washington has set up the QUAD security dialogue with India, Japan, and Australia, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-to-land-in-india-with-eye-on-military-energy-ties-77541/

DefenceTalkTurkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed deepening defence industry cooperation with Russia during talks with his counterpart Vladimir Putin this week, the Turkish leader was quoted as saying Thursday. Erdogan and Putin held their first face-to-face talks in 18 months in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Wednesday, with the Syrian conflict high on […]

DefenceTalkThe leaders of China and Russia on Monday announced the extension of a 20-year-old friendship treaty, hailing increasingly close ties and the “stabilizing role” of their relationship. The Kremlin published a joint statement from Russia and China to mark two decades since the treaty was signed, as Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping held a televised […]

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkPresident Donald Trump told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday that he hopes to avoid an “expensive” US arms race with Russia and China, the White House said. Washington and Moscow are preparing negotiations on a successor to the New START treaty capping their countries’ nuclear arsenals. However, China has so far rejected pressure […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-tells-putin-hopes-to-avoid-us-russia-china-arms-race-75997/

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday observed massive military drills off the coast of Moscow-annexed Crimea that involved test launches of cruise and hypersonic missiles. Russia’s commander-in-chief was on board the cruiser Marshal Ustinov to watch the joint drills by the Northern and Black Sea Fleets, the Kremlin said. He watched test launches of Kalibr […]