Russia ready for tit-for-tat response if US withdraw from INF and deploy missiles to Europe: Russian FM Lavrov
On Monday, Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov criticized European countries for voting on December 21 against the UN General Assembly resolution drafted by Moscow to protect the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force treaty.
Lavrov warned that if US withdraw unilaterally from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force treaty then Russia will proceed ahead with tit-for-tat response.
In an interview with the Rossiya-1 channel, Lavrov said, “We have heard the largest amount of concerns over the US’ unilateral exit from this Treaty in Europe… However, the entire EU has voted against our offer, that is, basically, in favor of the INF Treaty ceasing to exist and in favor of the recurring threat of placement of US missiles in Europe banned under this Treaty”.
Lavrov added, “The next step, of course, would be the Russian Federation’s tit-for-tat response”.
#Russia to take tit-for-tat measures if US deploys new missiles in #Europe: Lavrov https://t.co/h81lDOPBRv pic.twitter.com/NJIEeDuDJR
— Press TV (@PressTV) December 31, 2018
He said, “It is not our choice, but the EU capitals have to understand the threat to the security of the Europeans themselves”.
Russian minister also called on European countries to take independent decision on INF and not to follow US as it the matter of their security and interest.
He said, “Unfortunately, our European colleagues, whose independence we wish to be reflected in their actions, are not very ready for it and follow the US even when it goes directly against their interests”.
US President Donald Trump announced in October 2018 to withdraw from INF blaming Russia of violating the agreement for years and vowed to develop all the weapons that are banned under the agreement.
INF was signed at the end of Cold War era in 1987 by then the President of US Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev under with deployment of missiles having range between 500 km to 5500 km was banned and more than 2700 missiles were eliminated.
