“I can say that we are disappointed with what we see. Of course, testing ground-based medium-range missiles, which contradicts the Intermediate-Range Missile Treaty, aggravates the security situation in the world, and in Europe in particular, ”he said.
As Putin noted, "the Americans tested this missile too quickly after announcing the withdrawal from the treaty."
"In this regard, we have every reason to believe that work on this missile, on its landing - this is a sea missile - began long before the search for reasons for withdrawing from the treaty," the president added.
He added that Russia would not deploy the INF Treaty before the United States did.
“Russia will not deploy missiles, and now we, of course, will work on such systems of medium and shorter range, until the corresponding American-made strike systems appear in a particular region of the world,” he emphasized.
On August 19, the Pentagon announced the test of a banned INF Treaty cruise missile. As noted in the military department, the development of a new rocket began in February.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that Washington was preparing to test the missile long before the INF Treaty ceased to exist.