Moscow [Russia]: Russia has warned the United States of a “tit-for-tat” response if the latter tries to militarily contain Russia.
“It is vital to conclude that measures for Russia’s military containment will be taken and they will be very tough,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated at a news conference, according to TASS.
“We will respond to them in a tit-for-tat manner,” he stressed. Ryabkov further noted that Russia would not initiate any measures, saying, “Our colleagues who are now dwelling on how to seriously sting Russia must comprehend all this.”
The minister’s remarks come after the United States suspended its obligations under the cold-war era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, triggering a mirrored response from Moscow.
Russia again slammed the United States on Thursday, putting forth that the “United States took no action to stop violating own obligations under the INF Treaty,” reports Sputnik.
The INF Treaty, sealed in the waning days of the Soviet Union in 1987, bans ground-launched missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometres. The Trump administration announced last October that, because of Russian violations dating back several years, it was planning to pull the United States from the pact.
The accord was signed by former US President Ronald Reagan and former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to limit the arms race between the nations.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]