- Sputnik International, 1920
Russia
The latest news and stories from Russia. Stay tuned for updates and breaking news on defense, politics, economy and more.

Medvedev: US Move to Exit ABM Treaty Prompted Russia to Improve Defence Industry, Create New Weapons

© Russian Ministry of Defence / Go to the mediabankLaunch of a new anti-missile missile defence system at the Sary-Shagan training ground
Launch of a new anti-missile missile defence system at the Sary-Shagan training ground - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.12.2021
Subscribe
The United States decided to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in June 2002 under then-President George W. Bush, therefore terminating the accord that limited Washington and Moscow to only having two ABM complexes.
The US decision to exit the ABM Treaty has stimulated Russia into bolstering its defence industry and creating new types of weapons, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday.
The move, however, also naturally led to increasing tensions between Washington and Moscow, he noted.
"The Americans still do not have a reliable shield against other countries possessing nuclear weapons, including those whom they tried to make outcasts with the use of sanctions", Medvedev wrote on his Facebook page.
It was in 2002 when then-US President George W. Bush decided to pull Washington out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty inked by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1972. The accord limited the two countries to only having two ABM complexes, each of which could have no more than 100 anti-ballistic missiles. Washington's exit from the treaty de facto terminated the agreement.
Medvedev continued on by saying that Russia is committed to strengthening global strategic stability and offers to work with the United States in this field based "on the principle of the indissolubility and interconnectedness of strategic offensive and defensive weapons".
"It is important that Washington, too, remains faithful to this course, open to joint work with partners, including within the framework of key strategic agreements, instead of trying to thoughtlessly push NATO eastward or deploy offensive weapons near Russia's borders", Medvedev stated.
In 2014, after Ukraine was rocked by a coup, Kiev cancelled the country's non-aligned status in a bid to create a path to joining the NATO alliance. In 2018, amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution making NATO membership one of the nation's main strategic goals were introduced, coming into force in 2019.
Medvedev's Tuesday remarks come as the West continues to toss around accusations of Russia "amassing troops" in the vicinity of the Ukrainian border and fuelling the narrative of Moscow's purported plans to "invade" its neighbour.
Russian servicemen during the Command Post exercise of the Airborne Force at the Opuk base in Crimea. - Sputnik International, 1920, 12.12.2021
Russia
Putin Told Biden During Call Russian Troops Located Within Country's Borders Pose No Threat
Russia has repeatedly outlined that it does not plan to attack anyone. The Kremlin has been consistently outlining the concept of "red lines" for Western countries, which, for Moscow, include the NATO alliance's expansion eastward and deployment of offensive weapons in the countries neighbouring Russia.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала