MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called for resuming production of intermediate-range missiles that were banned under a now-scrapped treaty with the US.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, which banned ground-based nuclear and conventional missiles with a range of 500-5,500 kilometers, was regarded as an arms control landmark when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan signed it in 1988. The US withdrew from the treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations.
“We need to start production of these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where if necessary to ensure our safety to place them,” Putin said.