For Putin, economic and political reality dampen appetite for arms race

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a business forum Delovaya Rossiya in Moscow, Russia February 6, 2019. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - With his ratings down and state funds needed to hedge against new Western sanctions and raise living standards, Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot afford to get sucked into a costly nuclear arms race with the United States.

Alleging Russian violations, Washington said this month it was suspending its obligations under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and starting the process of quitting it, untying its hands to develop new missiles.