Russia wants to modernize its nuclear program over 'existential threats' - Fox News

Alexey Likhachev, CEO of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, stated that the current geopolitical situation represents a time of colossal threats to Russia’s existence. Therefore, he said, the guarantee of sovereignty must be a nuclear shield, which is also a sword.

At the same time, he did not specify what updates are planned for the Shield nuclear program.

These comments came less than a week after a personal meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In May, Trump announced US plans to develop a missile defense system called the Golden Dome, modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome. Preliminary estimates put its cost at at least $175 billion.

Although security experts warn about the escalation of China’s nuclear development, Russia and the US together still possess 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenal. Moscow continues to maintain nearly 4,400 nuclear warheads, over 1,500 of which are strategically deployed, while the US has over 3,700 warheads, 1,400 of them deployed, according to the Arms Control Association.

Moreover, in 2023, Russia withdrew from the last bilateral arms control treaty with the US, which remains in effect until February 2026. Vladimir Putin cited the reason as the US allegedly developing new types of nuclear weapons.

Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom was largely unaffected by Western sanctions. The company continues its projects in Europe, contributing to Russia’s budget. Among Western countries, sanctions on Rosatom’s entities and managers have only been imposed by the UK, US, and Canada.

Meanwhile, the US and Russia could discuss a new strategic arms agreement.