Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday criticized Russian nonproliferation policies, saying Russia lacked a “coherent system” to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, Nov. 3).

In an opening address to a meeting of the Russian Security Council convened to discuss nonproliferation issues, Putin said the potential spread of weapons of mass destruction, especially to terrorists, remained “the chief global threat of the 21st century.” He noted Russia’s long borders and vast stockpiles of Soviet-era weapons of mass destruction, saying that nonproliferation remained a “top priority” issue.

Even so, Putin criticized Russian nonproliferation efforts, singling out Russia’s export control system and its lack of trained nonproliferation specialists.

“Elements of that [nonproliferation] work, such as, for example, export control[s], thus far, unfortunately give no right to speak of a coherent system,” he said.

U.S. concerns with Russian export policies stretch back to the mid-1990s, when the United States first detected “serious problems” concerning Iranian entities obtaining first missile-related, then nuclear-related technologies, a U.S. State Department official told Global Security Newswire today. From 1998-1999, the United States sanctioned 10 Russian entities for alleged illegal transfers, with eight still under penalty, the official said.

Last month, the CIA released an unclassified semiannual report of the WMD capabilities of countries of concern that listed Russia among supplier countries. The report warned that the economic situation in Russia has led Russian companies and research institutions to becoming increasingly interested in transferring WMD-related goods and expertise. According to the CIA, Russian entities have transferred nuclear- and missile-related technologies to several countries, such as Iran and India, and have remained a source for countries interested in developing chemical and biological weapons programs (see GSN, Nov. 11).

“Russia is a target-rich environment for proliferators of all kinds,” the State Department official said.

While praising the efforts Russia has made over the past several years in enacting and strengthening its export control regulatory system, the CIA assessment said that enforcement “remained a serious concern.”

“Top officials must make a sustained effort to convince exporting entities — as well as the bureaucracy whose job it is to oversee them — that nonproliferation is a top priority and that those who violate the law will be prosecuted,” the CIA report said.

The State Department official also said that Russia’s written export control regulations are “pretty good,” but concerns still remain regarding their enforcement and the priority Moscow places on them. The United States is continuing to work with Russia to crack down on illegal transfers by Russian entities, to help improve Russian export licensing and to pressure Moscow to end potentially illegal transfers to countries of concern, the official said.

In his remarks to the Russian Security Council, Putin called for reprioritizing nonproliferation in national security policy and for an “in-depth and systematic analysis” of nonproliferation activities by Russian agencies. 

“We must expressly define the role of each department, eliminate the duplication of their functions and enhance control over the quality of their work,” he said.

In addition, Putin also called for greater coordination of nonproliferation policies, including export control regulations, among all members of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The CIS consists of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

Putin warned against using promises of implementing nonproliferation policies as a bargaining chip in negotiations with other countries. “Any attempts to use this theme as an instrument of momentary political or economic gain … should meet with resistance and an appropriate response on our part,” he said.

Instead, Russia should view nonproliferation as being in its own interest, according to Putin.

“I shall once again stress that competent and effective policies in the field of nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction spell the security of our state as a whole and our citizens, promote international stability and enhance Russia’s prestige in the world,” he said.