“Thank God Russia is not Iraq”

Here are some disturbing developments. The president of Russia has indirectly suggested that the United States could potentially be interested in invading the country to capture control of its energy, and for this reason, the federation needs to add more nuclear weapons to its arsenal. From Reuters:

He also promised new nuclear weapons as part of Moscow’s military build-up, saying the experience of Iraq showed the need for resource-rich countries to keep strong defences. ”Thank God Russia is not Iraq,” Mr Putin told a questioner who asked about supposed U.S. intentions to gain control of Siberia’s vast natural resources. ”It is strong enough to protect its interests within the national territory and, by the way, in other regions of the world.””… What we are doing to increase our defence capability is the correct choice and we will continue to do that,” he added. Answering a question from a soldier based at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the far north, where troops test-fired a long-range missile earlier in the day, President Putin promised new nuclear weapons technology as part of important defence plans. ”We will develop missile technology including completely new strategic (nuclear) complexes, completely new,” he said. ”Work is continuing and continuing successfully.”