By accusing Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty (signed by both sides in 1987), the United States tries to lend legitimacy to its own steps in violation of that document, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Committee for Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev told reporters on Thursday. The Russian senator stressed that Washington had failed to provide evidence proving that Moscow was violating the INF Treaty. “This treaty applies only to the ground-based weapons, but as it has been reiterated many times, Russia has no need to go back to this kind of weapons since the combat capabilities of our submarines, warships and Aerospace Force allow us to totally ensure the country’s security,” he said.
According to Kosachev, the United States seeks to withdraw from the INF Treaty to continue increasing the capabilities of its Prompt Global Strike system.
