Dmitry Peskov
Moscow strictly adheres to all provisions of the Treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF). On Thursday, March 9, reported the press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, reports the correspondent of”.ru”.
“Russia was, is and will remain committed to all international obligations, including those arising from the INF Treaty,” — said Peskov, commenting on the statement of the Deputy Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff US Armed forces General Paul Selva about the fact that Russia allegedly deploys cruise missiles for the sake of creating threats to the NATO.
A Kremlin spokesman also recalled the words of President Vladimir Putin that Russia fulfills its obligations, even in situations where it didn’t quite fit her interests. “Sometimes we have to be flexible in what we do,” — said Peskov.
Earlier Thursday, the head of the Federation Council Committee on defense and security Viktor Ozerov said that, having made accusations against Moscow of violating the INF Treaty, the American side did not provide any evidence. “Even presenting the facts of these violations. Groundless talk we’ve heard enough lately,” — said Ozerov.
According to the agreement on the elimination of intermediate and short-range, signed in 1987 by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev (in office of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee), the United States and Russia can not produce, test and deploy ballistic and cruise land-based missiles of medium (1,000 to 5,500 kilometers) and small (from 500 to 1,000 kilometers) range.
The Russian side has repeatedly stated about the possibility of withdrawal from the Treaty, which can be seen as a response to the expansion of the American ABM.