On Saturday, the Politico news outlet reported, citing several congressmen, that the Trump administration was considering the proposal of Congress to withdraw from the INF Treaty with Russia.
"We should wait for the decision. Without a doubt, we have an appropriate response [to the withdrawal]," Shamanov said.
The lawmaker also stressed that none of the parties had anything to gain if Washington decided to withdraw from the treaty.
"I think it will make it worse for everyone because it will cause an attempt of the arms race, and nobody will benefit from it," Shamanov noted.
President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan signed the INF Treaty in 1987. Russia is party to the treaty, as the Soviet Union's successor state. The 1987 treaty prohibits the development, deployment or testing of ground-launched ballistic or cruise missiles with ranges between 300 and 3,400 miles. The treaty was implemented in 1991, with inspections continuing until 2001.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has repeatedly said that Moscow was in full compliance with the INF treaty. According to Lavrov, Moscow had its own concerns over Washington's compliance with the INF Treaty and that the Russian side had repeatedly called on US partners to substantially discuss the most controversial points related to the agreement's implementation. In February, US media reported that Russia had deployed nuclear cruise missiles in violation of the INF Treaty. In March, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Gen. Paul Selva said in a congressional testimony that the United States aims to "look for leverage points" seeking Russia's compliance with the treaty.
