MOSCOW. Oct 14 (Interfax) - If a new edition of the Cold War happens, it would affect Russia the least, as it already possesses advanced types of weapons, which nobody else has, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Asked during an interview with RT Arabic, Sky News, and Al Arabiya whether he believes a new arms race could "plunge us back into another cold war," Putin replied: "I wish it does not happen. In any case, Russia will be the least affected party because, as I said, we already have the next generation of weapons, and these are unprecedented, with unmatched capabilities. In that sense, we have done our homework. We do not need to rush now and can calmly think of what could be done next."
The interview is posted on the Kremlin website.
Russia has developed unmatched military capabilities even though it is currently ranked seventh in the world in terms of defense spending, following the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan, he said.
"It comes as a result of focused research on priority areas, and the credit here goes to our specialists, their ability to identify those areas, mobilize resources. It has been made possible thanks to research institutions, production know how, fundamental knowledge and competences," he said.
"An arms race is a bad thing, and it will not be good for the world. However, we will not be dragged into exorbitant budget spending games," he said.