Russia may take additional measures to nuclear deterrence if the US deploys short- and medium-range missiles in Europe and Asia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with RIA Novosti, quoted by Reuters, BTA writes.
In April, the United States announced plans to deploy missiles in the Indo-Pacific region in response to what Washington sees as an increasing militarization of China, Reuters recalls.
Such a deployment would have been prohibited in the past by the key 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia. In 2019, the US formally withdrew from the treaty, arguing that Moscow was violating it – a charge the Kremlin has denied.
Moscow has long warned that it would lift a moratorium it had proposed on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles if Washington followed through on plans to deploy such weapons in Asia and Europe.
In the interview with RIA Novosti, Lavrov warned that Russia may be forced to take additional measures.
„We do not rule out additional measures in the area of nuclear deterrence: eventually, American forward-based missiles will be able to reach command posts and the location of our nuclear forces. "Decisions on these issues are within the competence of the President of the Russian Federation," Lavrov said.