THE Kremlin has blasted Donald Trump’s plan for the US to exit a 30-year-old nuclear weapons treaty.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, warned ending the 1987 deal, which was agreed between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev would be a “very dangerous step”.
The comments came after the US president indicated his intention to “terminate” the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty – which banned ground-launched medium-range missiles – on the grounds that Russia had been “violating it for many years”.
Speaking after a rally in Nevada, Trump also commented on China, which is not a signatory to the treaty. He said: “We’ll have to develop those weapons, unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and say: ‘Let’s really get smart and let’s none of us develop those weapons’, but if Russia’s doing it and if China’s doing it, and we’re adhering to the agreement, that’s unacceptable.”
Ryabkov said: “This would be a very dangerous step that, I’m sure, not only will not be comprehended by the international community but will provoke serious condemnation.”
The UK Government said it stood “absolutely resolute” with the US, while Germany called Trump’s move “regrettable”.
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