CRI听力:Putin Vows to Strengthen Military to Counter US, NATO Moves

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to strengthen Moscow's nuclear and conventional weapons to counter recent moves by the US and NATO.

The comment comes as the Russian Navy launched a Bulava ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine in the White Sea.

Two more ballistic missile tests are planned for the coming months.

Putin blames Western countries of taking advantage of the Ukraine crisis and for using it as an excuse to resuscitate NATO.

"As you know, a decision has been made recently to expand NATO's presence in Eastern Europe. Some of our Western partners are now using the crisis in Ukraine, that they provoked themselves, in order to resuscitate the military bloc. We will take all these things into account when we decide on ensuring our country's security."

He says the new weapons modernization program will focus on building a new array of offensive weapons to provide a guaranteed nuclear deterrent.

Putin also stresses that Moscow has no intention of getting involved in any kinds of arms race.

A NATO summit last week decided to create a rapid-reaction "spearhead" force to guard against potential Russian threats.