Russia has formally decided to abandon the INF disarmament treaty. President Vladimir Putin signed a corresponding decree.
Putin had already stated at the beginning of February that Russia would suspend the agreement to renounce nuclear weaponry in response to the termination of the agreement by the US. The signing of the decree was considered a mere formality.
A statement from the Kremlin said Putin responded that the US had violated the obligations imposed on them by the treaty. The US accuses Russia of the same.
INF is the abbreviation for "Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces". The United States and the Soviet Union had agreed in 1987 to disarm nuclear-capable medium-range missiles. It prohibits land-based missiles and cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5500 kilometers that can carry nuclear warheads.
Washington and NATO accuse Russia of breaching the agreement with its 9M729 cruise missile, which Moscow denies.
THE MIRROR
According to Russian data, the cruise missile should have a range of 480 kilometers - and would be exactly 20 kilometers below the threshold above which the weapon would be banned under the INF Treaty. However, the US and its NATO partners are convinced that the 9M729 could fly significantly further.
Experts suggest a value comparable to that of the American "Tomahawk" cruise missile. This extends around 2500 kilometers far (read more here).
Back in February, Putin had announced the development of new medium-range missiles - in response to what in his words similar projects in the United States. Russia will not engage in "a new costly arms race," he added. The country would only station its short-range and medium-range missiles in Europe, if the US did likewise.