Kremlin strongman, 64, made the announcement today in a televised speech

He said it'd be a 'historic event' when last of Russia's chemical weapons are gone

Putin also used speech to needle Washington, saying US was neglecting duties

Weapons inherited from Soviet era could've destroyed all living things, he said

Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will destroy its last chemical weapons today in a 'historic event' and has criticized his American counterpart Donald Trump for not following suit.

The Kremlin strongman made the announcement today, saying everything Russia inherited from the Soviet era - which he claimed would be enough to destroy all living things many times over - would be obliterated.

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President Putin also used the speech to needle Washington, saying the United States was not carrying out its international duties in full.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council on comprehensive development of passenger transportation in the Russian Federation in Ulyanovsk last week

Two Russian soldiers make a routine check of metal containers with toxic agents at a chemical weapons storage site in the town of Gorny, 124 miles south of the Volga River city of Saratov, Russia in this May 20, 2000

'Today the last chemical ammunition from Russia's chemical weapon stockpile will be destroyed,' Putin said in comments he made on television.

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'This is truly a historic event, taking into account the huge amount we inherited from Soviet times that was enough - as experts believed - to destroy all living things many times over.

'This is a huge step towards making the modern world more balanced and safe.'

US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017. President Putin also used the speech to needle Washington, saying the United States was not carrying out its international duties in full

A Russian military officer showing a Scud missile of the type that Soviet forces filled with nerve agents and stored in seven chemical weapons arsenals in this June, 2001 file picture.

The US 'unfortunately is not carrying out its obligations when it comes to the timeframe of destroying chemical weapons - they pushed back the liquidation timeframe already three times,' Putin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Putin said Washington had postponed its plans to destroy its chemical weapons citing insufficient funds, which he said 'looked a little bit strange'.

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He added: 'Well okay, we expect the United States to carry out all of its obligations it has taken upon itself as part of international agreements just like other countries do.'