In a turnabout, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused the U.S. of being in violation of a landmark nuclear arms agreement made during the Cold War, and also of harboring aggressive intentions.
As such, Putin said Russia planned to fend off any future threats posed by NATO and the U.S. at just a fraction of the cost.
During a meeting with his top military advisors and brass, the Russia leader claimed that U.S. missile defense sites in Romania that contained interceptors might also someday house ground-to-ground intermediate range ballistic missiles, in violation of a 1987 agreement banning those types of weapons.
Putin also noted that American launches of target vehicles during missile tests was an additional violation of the INF Treaty, which bans all land-based cruise and ballistic missiles that have a range of between 310-3,410 miles.
The Trump administration rejected those allegations and has instead insisted that Russia is violating the treaty with the development of its own intermediate-range cruise missile, which Putin has denied.
“When we move military units on our own territory, they present it as some kind of a threat,” Putin said. “And when they move military bases, infrastructure and new weapons near our borders they present it as something normal. It’s probably normal for those who do it, but not for us.” [source]
Information in this article helps satisfy Priority Intelligence Requirement 2: What is the current situation report and risk of war in each of the four flashpoints? To subscribe to one of our threat intelligence newsletters: Click here.
