Russia considers the possibility of deploying missiles in Asia
Russia is considering the possibility of deploying missiles in Asia, similar to the US.
According to RIA Novosti, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters that Russia is considering the possibility of deploying medium- and short-range missiles in Asia, if similar US systems appear there.
"Of course, this is one of the options that has been discussed many times," Deputy Minister Ryabkov said.
The Russian diplomat stressed that Russia's opponents and their allies should not have a sense of security and complacency.
"It has come to the point where we can continue to use some arguments to convince, but practice shows that they do not bring the desired results. Therefore, we need more powerful means, including the deployment of similar systems, from which they can hit the relevant targets and act as a response measure," Deputy Minister Ryabkov noted.
As for the newest medium-range Oreshnik missiles, Russia's existing international obligations do not impose any restrictions on their potential deployment, including the US administration's misstep of withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, he added.
According to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, the fate of Russia's unilateral ban on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles depends entirely on the further actions of the US administration.
"With any escalation scenarios, if they begin to materialize, further escalation scenarios will be a direct consequence of the reckless, and arguably inhumane, policy pursued by the United States and leading European countries," Ryabkov stressed.
On November 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country's forces had tested one of its newest missile systems, Oreshnik, in response to attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on targets in Kursk and Bryansk using long-range ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles from the US and UK.