Countries that allow the US to deploy missiles that could become nuclear targets

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council (Upper House) of Russia, Mr. Konstantin Kosachev. Photo: AP

Earlier the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the need to resume negotiations on ensuring strategic stability and security between Russia and the United States.

"Despite what has happened (such as the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty), we still believe in common sense, in the feeling that our partners and allies remain responsible to their people and the entire international community. To avoid chaos, where there are no rules, restrictions or laws, we need to once again weigh all the dangerous consequences and start a serious dialogue in a clear and substantive way," the Russian leader said.

"We need to make it clear before the propaganda campaign starts shouting 'Why us? We allowed the US to deploy missiles on our territory, but these missiles are aimed precisely at terrorists (Iran, North Korea, Syria...)'. No, this will not work. These countries agreed to deploy missiles automatically and are ready to become nuclear targets within minutes of deployment," Kosachev explained in an interview with TASS news agency.

On August 2, the US officially withdrew from the INF Treaty, accusing Russia of violating the treaty and deploying at least one type of missile banned in the treaty, although Moscow has always denied these accusations.

The INF Treaty was signed by the United States and the former Soviet Union on December 8, 1987 and officially took effect on June 1, 1988. Accordingly, both sides pledged not to produce, test, or deploy medium- and short-range ballistic and cruise missiles (from 500 to 5,500 km).