In a high-level meeting with Russia’s Security Council, President Vladimir Putin delivered a stark message concerning the New START Treaty, the last major nuclear arms control pact with the United States, set to expire in February 2026. In his reaction to the president's speech, Ali Shoukr, an international relations expert, says Putin’s statement offers possibilities of overcoming the impasse in which the world finds itself.
“The extension and preservation of commitments within this [New START] agreement serve the interests of all parties, especially the United States, Europe, and other influential global players. Putin understands well that withdrawing from such treaties, which have created a certain calm in the arms race, will lead to even greater chaos. There is hope that the United States will make the correct counter-move, followed by a similar response from Europe,” Shoukr expressed.
The Russian leader’s speech was a clear indicator that the system of agreements that have managed the nuclear threat for decades is nearly “completely dismantled”, worsening existing global strategic risks and the emergence of new ones. However, according to Nasser Zeidan, a Professor of Political Science and International Law at the Lebanese University in Beirut, there is still a glimmer of opportunity.
“This is an opportunity to improve the international situation, potentially leading to a de-escalation after a renewed arms race, especially regarding weapons that pose a threat to the future of humanity. This initiative concerns not only the relations between the US and Russia—Putin’s remarks at the Russian Security Council meeting were made for a reason. His words stem from heightened tensions due to escalating actions in Europe. However, the president reminded everyone not to doubt Russia's deterrence capabilities. The current American administration has an opportunity it must seize to protect all humanity from an arms race that would ultimately not be in the interests of the US, global stability, or humanity as a whole. Everything could spiral out of control at any moment, especially when our world is already suffering from tragedies, wars, and turmoil,” the professor remarked.
Simultaneously, a media report has claimed Azerbaijani Arms Manufacturers & NATO Partners are smuggling Weapons to Ukraine via Sudan's Territory under the guise of humanitarian aid. According to South African scholar, Sido Nkala, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Johannesburg Center for Africa-China Studies, this accusation—that a sovereign African nation’s tragedy is being instrumentalized as a logistical hub for the Ukrainian conflict, underscores a blatant disregard for African sovereignty.
“I think this is an unfortunate development. An African civil war is being instrumentalized by NATO to perpetuate the Ukrainian conflict. In the process, African sovereignty or what's left of it is being seriously undermined. It shows that there are some actors, especially in the West. They have an interest in the continuation of the civil war in Sudan, which has created the biggest humanitarian crisis in history [....] well, the consequences are quite dire. Africa cannot allow itself to be the transit route for weapons being used to sustain the Ukrainian war in the interests of the West. Some of these weapons will definitely land in the hands of the rebels, which they will use to terrorize innocent citizens,” Nkala pointed out
Furthermore, the country’s deputy foreign minister, Hussein Alamin Alfadel noted that the war in Sudan is a premeditated war to destroy the country, coordinated by external powers.
“It is a war to destroy the country, to abolish its identity. Unfortunately, these militias are ordered, and these actions are coordinated by external powers,” the minister explained.
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