Vladimir Putin threatens to develop banned nuclear missiles, saying US already tore up arms treaty and ‘they thought we wouldn’t notice’
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a US demand that Moscow dismantle its new mid-range missiles within 60 days
- Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov says Moscow will instead increase the capabilities of its ground-based nuclear arms
A defiant Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened to develop nuclear missiles banned under a treaty with the United States after Washington gave Moscow a deadline to comply with the key arms control agreement.
The latest spike in tensions came a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would withdraw from a major cold war treaty limiting mid-range nuclear arms within 60 days if Russia does not dismantle missiles that the US claims breach the deal.
Putin dismissed Pompeo’s statement as a smokescreen, saying Washington had already decided to ditch the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF).
“They thought we would not notice,” the Kremlin chief said, claiming the Pentagon has already earmarked an amount for the development of missiles banned by the treaty.
US gives Russia 60 days to dismantle missiles, or it will quit nuke treaty
“We are against the destruction of this treaty. But if this happens, we will react accordingly.”