Putin Fast-Tracks Nuclear Triad As Zelensky Warns Of Global War

Russia is doubling down on its nuclear arsenal and Ukraine is warning the world the stakes could not be higher.

President Vladimir Putin declared Monday that strengthening Russia’s “nuclear triad” is now an “absolute priority,” signaling an accelerated push to modernize the country’s most powerful weapons systems as the war in Ukraine grinds into its fourth year.

At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Putin’s invasion has already escalated into what amounts to “World War III.”

Russia’s nuclear triad refers to its three primary delivery systems for nuclear weapons:

• Land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)

• Submarine-launched ballistic missiles

• Strategic long-range bombers

This structure is designed to guarantee a second-strike capability meaning Russia could retaliate even after absorbing a nuclear attack.

Putin said the triad “guarantees Russia’s security and ensures effective strategic deterrence and a balance of forces in the world.”

Russia is estimated to possess roughly 5,500 nuclear warheads, comparable to the United States’ total stockpile, making both nations by far the world’s largest nuclear powers.

Putin’s remarks come after Russia suspended participation in the New START Treaty in February 2023. The treaty signed in 2010 limited deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 for each country and capped delivery systems.

Although Russian officials have claimed they will continue to observe certain limits voluntarily, the suspension effectively removed the last remaining formal arms-control framework between Moscow and Washington.

Defense analysts warn that without binding verification mechanisms, mistrust between the two nuclear superpowers could deepen.

In a BBC interview, Zelenskyy argued that Putin’s invasion represents something larger than a regional war.

“I believe that Putin has already started it,” Zelenskyy said, referring to World War III. “The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him.”

Zelenskyy warned that even if a peace deal were struck including potential concessions in the Donbas region Russia could regroup within “no more than a couple of years” and launch another invasion.

“Putin will not stop at Ukraine,” he said.

Ukraine’s president framed the war as a broader ideological struggle over the future of global order.

Beyond nuclear forces, Putin said Russia would:

• Strengthen its army and navy

• Increase combat readiness and mobility

• Accelerate development of advanced weapons systems

Russia has already fielded new hypersonic missile systems in recent years, claiming speeds exceeding Mach 5 and maneuverability designed to evade missile defenses.

The U.S. and NATO members have simultaneously expanded military aid to Ukraine, committing tens of billions in equipment, training, and financial support.

The war in Ukraine has already produced the largest conventional land conflict in Europe since World War II. Casualty estimates on both sides number in the hundreds of thousands.

With arms control agreements weakened and rhetoric intensifying, analysts caution that miscalculation risks are rising.

For now, Putin insists his nuclear buildup ensures strategic balance. Zelensky insists it signals something far more dangerous.

The world is watching and weighing what comes next.

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