NUCLEAR DEAL: Russia warns that US action could spark arms race

Authorities in Russia have warned that a proposed plan by the US to back out of an earlier signed nuclear deal could spark an arms race between Washington and Moscow.

According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, Russia would be forced to act if the United States pulled out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.

“Because what does scrapping the INF treaty mean? It means that the United States is not disguising, but is openly starting to develop these systems in the future,” Peskov told reporters at a press conference in the Russian capital, Moscow.

Read also: Cold war between Russia & US over, Putin says

“And if these systems are being developed, then actions are necessary from other countries, in this case Russia, to restore balance in this sphere,” he added.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed in 1987 by then-US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General-Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in Washington.

It banned nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges of 500 to 1,000km, as well as their launchers.

 

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