Russian President Vladimir Putin says it is dangerous to abandon the treaty and has called for military experts to discuss agreement [PPIO]
Russian President Vladimir Putin has told local media that he is hoping to resume negotiations on the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty governing land-based short-to-intermediate range nuclear missiles.
Last month, US President Donald Trump announced that he wanted to withdraw from and terminate the INF treaty, blaming Russia for consistet violation of its tenets.
Trump’s announcement alarmed many around the world, especially European NATO leaders, who said that failure to preserve the “landmark arms control treaty” would lead to a new nuclear arms race.
Trump had said that Russia was testing missiles prohibited by the INF treaty, but offered no evidence to support his claim. Russia has denied such accusations and said it was the US that was in violations.
Putin has said that he hoped the US would explain its position through dialogue.
“It is more important to maintain dialogue not even at a top or high level but at a level of experts. I hope a comprehensive negotiating process will be resumed,” he told Russian media this week.
US National Security Advisor John Bolton had arrived in Moscow two days after Trump announced that he would pull the US out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) because of alleged Russian violations.
Bolton told reporters shortly after meeting Putin that technology had changed and created different strategic realities which necessitated a different US position.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies