Russia has suspended the Cold War-era Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty after a similar move by the United States, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.

"The American partners have declared that they suspend their participation in the deal, we suspend it as well," Putin said during a televised meeting with foreign and defense ministers.

The United States announced on Friday it will withdraw from the INF treaty with Russia in six months unless Moscow ends what it says are violations of the landmark 1987 arms control pact.

Putin said Russia will start work on creating new missiles, including hypersonic ones, and told ministers not to initiate disarmament talks with Washington. </s> Washington: Following in the footsteps of the United States, Russia will abandon a centrepiece nuclear arms treaty but will only deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles if Washington does so, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump accused Moscow of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty with "impunity" by deploying banned missiles.

Trump said in a statement that the US will "move forward" with developing its own military response options to Russia's deployment of banned cruise missiles that could target Western Europe.

Moscow has strongly denied any breaches and accused Washington of making false accusations in order to justify its pullout. </s> MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin says that Russia will abandon a centerpiece nuclear arms treaty, following in the footsteps of the United States, and that Moscow will only deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles if Washington does so.

Putin spoke after the U.S. announced Friday it was pulling the plug on the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty over alleged Russian violations. Moscow denied any breaches and accused Washington of making false accusations in order to justify its pullout.

Following the U.S. notice of withdrawal from the treaty in six months, Putin said in televised remarks Saturday that Russia will do the same. He ordered the development of new land-based intermediate-range weapons, but emphasized that Russia won't deploy them in the European part of the country or elsewhere unless the U.S. does so. </s> MOSCOW, Russia — The Latest on Putin's state-of-the-nation speech (all times local):

President Vladimir Putin says Russia wants friendly relations with the United States and remains open for arms control talks with Washington.

Putin, speaking in Wednesday's state-of-the-nation address, said Moscow hopes to mend ties with the U.S., adding that "we don't want confrontation, particularly with such a global power as the U.S."

At the same time, he criticized what he described as "destructive" U.S. policy of targeting Russia with sanctions.

He added that Russia will be ready to engage in nuclear arms control talks with the U.S. when Washington is ready for that, but said Moscow will not initiate such negotiations.

Putin urged U.S. officials to take into account the "range and speed of our prospective weapons" before making decisions that will threaten Russia.

President Vladimir Putin says Russia will deploy a new hypersonic missile for its navy as part of an ongoing plan to modernize its military capabilities and efforts to counter what he described as hostile U.S. moves.

Speaking in the state-of-the-nation address Wednesday, Putin said the new Zircon missile will fly at nine times of the speed of sound and have a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).

He added that the missile is designed to equip existing surface ships and submarines.

He added that other new weapons he announced last year, including the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone, have been undergoing tests successfully.

President Vladimir Putin says Russia will target new weapons at the United States should it deploy new intermediate-range missiles in Europe following Washington's withdrawal from a key arms control pact.

Putin, speaking in Wednesday's state-of-the-nation address, rejected the U.S. claim that its withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty was prompted by Russian violations of the pact. He charged that the U.S. made false accusations against Russia to justify its decision to opt out of the pact.

Putin reaffirmed that Russia will not be the first to deploy new intermediate-range missiles in Europe, but warned that it will retaliate if the U.S. puts such missiles on the continent. He said it will not only target the host countries, but field new weapons that will target U.S. decision-making centers.

President Vladimir Putin says in a state-of-the-nation address that Russia needs to focus on raising living standards.

Speaking on Wednesday before lawmakers and top officials, Putin said the government will increase social payments to support young families. He promised tax breaks, lower mortgage rates and housing subsidies for families with several children.

He said that the tax burden on developers will be eased to encourage them to expand housing construction.

Putin also emphasized the need to combat poverty, saying that 19 million of Russia's approximately 147 million people live below the official poverty line, currently the equivalent of around 160 dollars a month. </s> Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The United States has officially abandoned a Cold War-era nuclear weapons pact with Russia -- a groundbreaking agreement when it was brokered by former President Ronald Reagan -- because officials say Moscow broke the deal years ago and never came back.

The Trump administration said in February it was planning to leave the 1987 accord and gave Russia six months to return to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.

The treaty signed by Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev prohibited intermediate-range land-based cruise and ballistic missiles.

"The U.S. gave Russia six months to return to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted Friday. "Russia refused, so the treaty ends today.

"The U.S. will not remain party to a treaty when others violate it. Russia bears sole responsibility."

The Russian foreign ministry acknowledged the INF treaty was dead.

"At the initiative of the American side, the operation of the treaty between the Soviet Union and the United States on the elimination of intermediate and shorter range missiles signed in Washington on December 8, 1987 was terminated," it said Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law last month suspending Russia's participation in the deal.

The U.S. threat to withdraw followed disclosures by NATO that a new Russian missile system had violated the treaty. U.S. officials said Moscow also violated the deal in 2013 with its development of the 9M729 missile system.

Putin, however, denies Russia has ever breached the arms agreement.

The last major arms deal between the two nations, the New START treaty, expires in two years. </s> Moscow and Washington have long accused the other of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces agreement, which was signed in 1987 and resolved a crisis over Soviet missiles.

President Donald Trump last year announced plans to withdraw unless Russia fulfilled its obligations.

"Our American partners have announced they are suspending their participation in the deal, and we are also suspending our participation," Putin said of the agreement, following a US deadline for cooperation.

Putin said during a televised meeting with foreign and defence ministers Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu that Russia would no longer initiate talks with the US on disarmament.

"We will wait until our partners have matured enough to conduct an equal, meaningful dialogue with us on this important topic," the president said.

Brokered by US president Ronald Reagan with last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the treaty ended a superpower buildup of warheads that had frightened Europeans.

It banned ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres.

The deal addressed Soviet nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles targeting Western capitals, but put no restrictions on other major military actors such as China.

President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington was starting a process to withdraw from the agreement in six months.

Trump said he would like to "get everybody in a big and beautiful room and do a new treaty," but in the meantime, the United States "can't be put at a disadvantage."

 

 Disputed missile

 

 The US in December gave Moscow a 60-day deadline to dismantle missiles it said breached the agreement.

But Moscow has insisted the disputed 9M729 missile is allowed under the treaty. The defence ministry last month invited journalists and foreign military attaches to a briefing on the weapon system.

Lavrov on Saturday repeated Russian accusations that Washington itself has been in violation of the deal for many years.

The foreign minister said Russia had "tried everything to save the treaty" in several rounds of diplomatic talks.

Putin meanwhile said Russia would seek to develop medium-range missiles in response to what he said were similar projects in the US.

He has previously warned of proliferation of weapons but on Saturday told the ministers Russia would "not be drawn into a costly new arms race".

Russia would only deploy intermediate- and short-range missiles in Europe or elsewhere in answer to similar moves from the US, he added.

European leaders have voiced fears over the consequences of the treaty's demise and called on Russia to address concerns before the United States formally leaves in August.

Beijing on Saturday also expressed concern over the mutual suspension, calling for the US and Russia to engage in "constructive dialogue".

China's foreign ministry has ruled out the possibility of negotiating a new multilateral pact that includes Beijing.

NATO earlier said that US allies "fully support" its withdrawal and agreed that Russia's 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile systems, whose range is the cause of US concerns, violated the treaty.

Lavrov at Saturday's meeting voiced concerns that Washington's decision to withdraw from the INF could jeopardise the extension of the New START treaty.

That agreement, which caps the number of nuclear warheads held by Washington and Moscow, expires in 2021. </s> (CNN) — The United States announced Friday it has formally withdrawn from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Moscow, putting an end to a landmark arms control pact that has limited the development of ground-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.

“Russia is solely responsible for the treaty’s demise,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Friday announcing the US’ formal withdrawal from the Cold-War era nuclear treaty.

Pompeo said “Russia failed to return to full and verified compliance through the destruction of its noncompliant missile system.”

The US initially announced in February that this would take place on August 2.

NATO allies said in a statement that Russia remains in violation of the INF Treaty, “despite years of U.S. and Allied engagement”, adding that they fully support the US decision to withdraw.

It adds that over the past six months Russia had a “final opportunity” to honor the treaty but failed. </s> WASHINGTON — The United States formally withdrew from a landmark nuclear missile pact with Russia on Friday after determining that Moscow was in violation of the treaty and had no plans to come into compliance with it.

U.S. President Donald Trump made the determination that the United States would terminate adherence to the 1987 arms control accord, known as the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), senior administration officials told reporters.

The treaty bans either side from stationing short- and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe. Washington signaled its intention six months ago to pull out of the agreement if Russia made no move to adhere to it.

“The United States will not remain party to a treaty that is deliberately violated by Russia,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement about the U.S. withdrawal.

“Russia’s noncompliance under the treaty jeopardizes U.S. supreme interests as Russia’s development and fielding of a treaty-violating missile system represents a direct threat to the United States and our allies and partners,” Pompeo said.

The senior administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Russia had deployed “multiple battalions” of a Russian cruise missile throughout Russia in violation of the pact, including in western Russia, “with the ability to strike critical European targets.”

Russia denies the allegation, saying the missile’s range puts it outside the treaty, and has accused the United States of inventing a false pretext to exit a treaty Washington wants to leave anyway so it can develop new missiles. Russia has also rejected a U.S. demand to destroy the new missile.

The missile, the Novator 9M729, is known as the SSC-8 by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The INF treaty, negotiated by then-President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and ratified by the U.S. Senate, eliminated the medium-range missile arsenals of the world’s two biggest nuclear powers and reduced their ability to launch a nuclear strike at short notice.

The treaty bans land-based missiles with a range between 310 and 3,400 miles (500-5,500 km).

The dispute is aggravating the worst U.S.-Russia friction since the Cold War ended in 1991. Some experts believe the treaty’s collapse could undermine other arms control agreements and speed an erosion of the global system designed to block the spread of nuclear arms.

Trump has sought to improve U.S. relations with Russia after a chill during the tenure of his predecessor, Barack Obama. He and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Wednesday about Siberian wildfires and trade.

Arms control did not come up in the call, the officials said.

European officials have voiced concern that if the treaty collapses, Europe could again become an arena for nuclear-armed, intermediate-range missile buildups by the United States and Russia.

The officials said the United States was months away from the first flight tests of an American intermediate-range missile that would serve as a counter to the Russians. Any such deployment would be years away, they said.

“We are just at the stage of looking at how we might further the development of conventional options,” one official said.

Trump has said he would like to see a “next-generation” arms control deal with Russia and China to cover all types of nuclear weapons.

He has broached the topic individually with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, including at the G20 summit in Osaka in June.

China is not a party to nuclear arms pacts between the United States and Russia and it is unclear how willing Beijing would be to be drawn into talks.

China’s Foreign Ministry has reiterated that the country had no interest in joining such talks. </s> Moscow: The United States on Friday formally abandoned the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, a statement from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, accusing Moscow of deliberately violating the Cold War-era arms pact.

"The US withdrawal... of the treaty takes effect today," Pompeo said on a visit to Bangkok for a regional summit.

"Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise."
Russian President Vladimir Putin suspends Russia's involvement in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and will now start developing new missiles, in response to the United States' decision to withdraw from the Cold War-era treaty.