Russia: US plan to withdraw from INF treaty endangers the world

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Photo: AP

According to Mr. Peskov, President Donald Trump's intention to withdraw from the INF treaty will cause the deepest concern, that this step makes the world more dangerous.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Peskov emphasized: "We strongly oppose the statements that Russia is violating the INF treaty. Russia has been complying with the terms of this treaty. And we believe that the intention to withdraw from this document is a cause for concern, because this step, if taken, will make the world more dangerous."

However, Mr. Peskov noted, so far Washington has not taken any steps to promote withdrawal from the agreement.

"I would like to emphasize that the document itself provides for the procedure for withdrawing from this agreement. So far, the US has not taken any specific actions as stipulated in the document to withdraw from the agreement," the Kremlin spokesman said.

The Kremlin representative also affirmed that Russia would never attack first even if it was threatened by a nuclear attack. However, Mr. Peskov emphasized that Russia would be forced to act to restore the balance of military power if the US withdrew from the INF treaty and began developing new missiles.

On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Moscow expects Washington to explain its plan to withdraw from this historic Cold War-era treaty, which was signed to remove nuclear missiles from Europe.

Last weekend, President Trump announced that the US would withdraw from the INF treaty, accusing Russia of violating the document, a move that raised warnings of countermeasures from Moscow.

Currently, US National Security Advisor John Bolton is on a two-day visit to Moscow and will discuss the issue with host country officials./.