Putin criticizes US withdrawal from nuclear treaty

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the U.S. decision to pull out from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty on Wednesday.

It is "a direct step towards undermining the entire system of agreements in the field of international security,” Putin told the Federal Security Service Board in Moscow. "This, of course, changes the situation, and unfortunately not for the better.”

In the last few decades the world has witnessed the destruction of the international legal base for disarmament.

U.S. President George Bush announced in 2001, Washington unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty -- considered a pillar of international security.

In October 2018, U.S President Donald Trump announced the exit from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).

In a tit-for-tat response, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Feb. 2 that Moscow was suspending its obligations under the INF treaty -- done legally March 4.

The treaty has been widely seen as a cornerstone of European security in the post-Cold War era after the U.S. and Russia signed it in 1987. It prohibits both countries from possessing and testing ground launch missiles with a range between 300 – 3,100 miles (900 - 5,500 kilometers).

The prolongation of the last "pillar", the START Treaty, is currently under question as the U.S. links it with the INF Treaty.