Islam Times - Putin: Russia Can’t Remain Content With US Declarations of Peace-loving Intentions Following INF Exit

Putin: Russia Can’t Remain Content With US Declarations of Peace-loving Intentions Following INF Exit

Islam Times - Russia will not reject its obligations toward the maintenance of global strategic stability, but cannot ignore the security situation flowing from the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

Speaking following a meeting of the Russian Security Council dedicated to the INF issue on Monday, Putin reiterated Moscow’s willingness to resume full-fledged negotiations with Washington on strategic stability and security as soon as possible, and said Russia was counting on the US side’s ‘common sense’ and sense of responsibility.

Russia, Putin said, cannot be satisfied with declarations of ‘peaceful intentions’ from the US and its allies. At the same time, he noted that Russia will not give up on its own unilateral commitments.

Putin has asked the ministry of defence, the foreign ministry and Russian intelligence with studying US efforts to develop and deploy new nuclear forces in the wake of the INF’s demise, and said Russia will be forced to develop and field ground-based short and intermediate-range missiles if the US side starts doing so.

At the same time, Putin promised the Moscow would not deploy short and medium range missiles in areas where the US side doesn’t also have them.