Putin warns US against walking away from arms treaty talks

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the United States that if it walks out of a key arms treaty and starts developing the type of missiles banned by the pact, Russia will do the same.

Putin’s remarks to Russian news agencies Wednesday came a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at a NATO meeting that Washington will suspend its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 60 days, citing Russian “cheating.”

Russia has denied that it has been violating the treaty.

President Donald Trump earlier this year announced his decision to withdraw from the INF, which has been described as a cornerstone of global security, accusing Russia and China — which is not a signatory to the treaty — of violating it.

Putin said Wednesday that the US decision to ditch the INF means that US authorities have decided that the US “has to have these weapons.” Russia’s response, according to Putin, will be: “We will do the same.”

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