Deputy Foreign Minister Says Deployment Of Russian Medium Distance Missiles Depends On US Steps

Illustration of Russian ballistic missiles. (Wikimedia Commons/Vitaly V. Kuzmin)

JAKARTA - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters that any deployment of medium- and short-range missiles in the future depends on the United States' decision.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov also said the fate of the moratorium was in the hands of Uncle Sam's country.

"Yes, the same as before. Completely and completely, all responsibility for what happens is in their hands, and any escalation scenario, if it begins to materialize, will be a direct consequence of reckless policies and, if it can be called the right, inhumane names taken by Washington and leading European countries, which completely forgive Kyov's most mortal ambitions and the most criminal plans," he explained. November 25.

"President (President of Russia Vladimir Putin) said what he said. The issue of placement was deeply discussed in his statement. As before, what happens next entirely depends on the choice our enemy will make at this very worrying and very dangerous moment and on the policies they will pursue," continued Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov.

President Putin previously said the United States had made a mistake by unilaterally destroying the Medium Distance Nuclear Power Treaty, also known as the INF Agreement, in 2019.

He stated that any deployment of medium- and short-range missiles in the future will depend on the actions of the United States and its satellites.

It is known that the Soviet Union and the United States signed the INF Agreement in December 1987. The agreement prohibits the deployment of land-based missile launchers, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.

However, the US withdrew from the agreement in 2019. Moscow promised not to produce or deploy the missile, as long as Washington refrained from spreading it anywhere in the world.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov himself previously emphasized that Moscow remains committed to the moratorium.