Putin to Trump: we will develop new nuclear missiles if the US does
Putin ordered to closely monitor any steps taken by the United States to develop, produce or deploy prohibited missiles in the now defunct treaty
Listen to this article
(FILE) – Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and US President Donald J. Trump (R) meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, 28 June 2019. EFE/EPA/MICHAEL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN / POOL MANDATORY CREDIT
Reuters | Polina Devitt and Tom Balmforth
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Monday that Moscow will be forced to start developing short-range and intermediate-range ground nuclear missiles if the United States does the same after abandoning a historic arms control treaty.
Washington formally withdrew from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty on Friday, after determining that Moscow was violating it and had already deployed at least one type of prohibited missile, an accusation denied by the Kremlin.
The pact prohibited land missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, reducing the ability of both countries to launch a nuclear attack in the short term.
Putin met with his Security Council on Monday and then ordered the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs, as well as the SVR foreign intelligence service, to closely monitor any steps taken by the United States to develop, produce or deploy prohibited missiles in the now deceased treaty.
"If Russia obtains reliable information that the United States has completed the development of these systems and has begun to produce them, we will have no choice but to commit ourselves to a large-scale effort to develop similar missiles," Putin said in a statement.
Read also: Sudanese protesters sign power-sharing deal with military
He also said that the sum of the Russian arsenal of missiles by sea and air with their work to develop hypersonic missiles implies that they are well placed to counter any threat that comes from the United States.
He said it is now essential that Moscow and Washington resume arms control talks to prevent what he called the beginning of an "unrestricted" arms race.
"To avoid chaos without rules, restrictions or laws, we need to assess once again all the dangerous consequences and launch a serious and meaningful dialogue free of any ambiguity," Putin said.
