Tension Looms As Putin’s Russia Plans New Missile Systems

Russia has announced its intent to develop new missile systems after the country and the United States suspended their involvement in an arms control treaty.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the aim was to create new land-based missiles within the next two years.

The United States President Donald Trump had last week announced the US would leave the pact, which it has long accused the Russians of violating.

But Russia’s Shoigu said the US was already violating the accord.

“[The US] are actively working on creating ground-based missiles with the range capability of over 500km, which is outside the treaty-stipulated limitations,” he said.

“In this situation, the Russian president has set the task for the defence ministry to take tit-for-tat mirrored measures.”

Concise News understands that the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty banned both countries from using short- and medium-range missiles.

The deal was signed in 1987, during the Cold War, to ease a crisis in which US and Soviet Union missiles were placed within range of European capitals.