WW3 THREAT: Russia braced for nuclear SHOWDOWN with US – new arms race forming

Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow did not trust the reassurances of European and US leaders who insist additional nuclear weapons will not be rolled out and confirmed the Russian military was planning for a “worst-case scenario”. He said it was too early to speak about specific military retaliatory steps but vowed Moscow’s response would be “effective” and “relatively inexpensive.” The Kremlin has previously warned Russia will target any European countries that agrees to host US nuclear missiles.

Mr Rybakov said Russia was still keen to persuade Donald Trump not to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty which eliminated both countries’ land-based short and intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe.

The treaty banned ground-launched missiles with ranges between 300 miles and 3,400 miles and led to nearly 2,700 short and medium-range missiles being dismantled.

But both countries accuse each other of violating the 1987 treaty and President Vladimir Putin and Mr Trump are due to discuss the matter at the G20 in Argentina this week.

Mr Ryabkov told a news conference Moscow wanted to save the treaty and was open to talks on the issue with Washington.

But the minister, who accused the US of violating the accord with missile deployments in EU member states Poland and Romania, said he thought the chances of a change of heart were slim.

He said: “We hear the denials but nothing more.

“Plans have been changed many times before. We don’t want to be disappointed by our US colleagues again, and therefore we are assuming the worst-case scenario in our military planning.

Mr Ryabkov said he believed the Pentagon could deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe “within years” and warned such a move would fuel a dangerous arms race.

He said: ”We can’t ignore the potential deployment of new American missiles on territory from where they will be a threat to Russia and its allies.

“In the event of such a deployment the Americans would gain significant extra capabilities, allowing them to strike at targets deep inside Russia.”

NATO chiefs said they doubted there would be new deployments of US missiles in Europe and US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Washington was a long way from making any decisions.

Mr Trump said the accord, which was signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, had been irreparably damaged because of Russian violations and insisted it had become irrelevant in the face of China’s nuclear weapons programme.

Opponents of the US President suggest his attitude towards the INF treaty has more to do with a general dislike of international agreements and co-operating with other nations.

And Brussels has called on the US to give greater consideration to the dangers of pulling out of the deal.

A spokeswoman for the Austrian EU presidency said: “The US and Russia need to remain engaged in a constructive dialogue to preserve the INF Treaty and ensure its full and verifiable implementation, which is crucial for European and global stability.

“We asked the United States to consider the consequences of its possible withdrawal on its own and our collective security.”