The Kremlin on Tuesday said the United States was taking a “dangerous stance” by withdrawing from a landmark nuclear weapons pact without offering an alternative solution.
“Of course there are weak points [in the treaty], but tearing up the agreement without plans for anything new is what we don’t welcome,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Reuters.
“To first reject the document and then [talk of] ephemeral possibilities to conclude a new one is a dangerous stance,” Peskov added.{mosads}
Reuters reported that Peskov said he expects U.S. national security adviser John Bolton to discuss the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two men meet later Tuesday.
President Trump confirmed to reporters on Saturday that the U.S. would no longer be part of the INF treaty, which was established during the Reagan administration. The agreement prevents the U.S. and Russia from possessing or testing ground-based nuclear missiles with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles.
U.S. officials have said Russia is in violation of the treaty, a charge Moscow denies.
A top Russian official said Sunday that U.S. plans to withdraw from the agreement amount to blackmail, and on Monday Peskov said the country would act to “restore balance” if necessary.