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The potential of Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons is currently over-guaranteed, said Yury Solomonov, chief designer at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology.
“Strategic nuclear forces must solve the problem of ensuring the national security of the state. This potential is guaranteed to be excessive at the moment,” Solomonov told Russia’s Natsionalnaya Oborona [National Defense] magazine.
According to the engineer, the development of military equipment must proceed according to the principle of “minimum reasonable sufficiency”, which, in turn, is determined by the cost-effectiveness ratio.
Commenting on the possible extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Russia and the United States, Solomonov said that non-extension does not mean increasing the chances of a new world war.
“The treaty itself does not alleviate the situation in terms of possible conflicts. It highlights what is most important in relations between states – the principle of trust,” he said.
According to Solomonov, it has happened repeatedly in the history of Russia-US relations that the two sides comply with the terms of a treaty after its formal expiration. In addition, there are nuclear states that are not bound by any treaty, including China, France, and the United Kingdom.
The New START has been in force since 2011 and will expire in February. It is the only legally binding nuclear arms control agreement between the two countries, which hold the world’s largest nuclear stockpiles.
