MOSCOW, Aug. 5 — Russia no longer has restrictions on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range ground-based missiles, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
His remarks followed a Monday announcement by the Russian Foreign Ministry, which declared that the conditions underpinning Russia’s unilateral moratorium under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty had collapsed, noting that the West’s buildup of destabilizing missile potentials in the regions adjacent to Russia has posed a direct threat to the country’s strategic security.
“Russia faces no restrictions in this regard whatsoever. It no longer sees itself as constrained,” said Peskov when asked about the Foreign Ministry’s position.
He further emphasized that Moscow reserves the right to take appropriate measures and actions when necessary.
The United States and the Soviet Union signed the INF in 1987, which prohibited possessing, developing and testing ground-based ballistic missiles with a range of 500-5,500 km.
The United States officially announced its withdrawal from the INF treaty in 2019. (Xinhua)
