World War 3: Russia accuses US of amassing cache of DEADLY banned missiles

Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed the US is bolstering its cache of deadly medium and short-range missiles in defiance of a key European anti-nuclear treaty. In October, Donald Trump shocked US allies by announcing he would haul the US out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. The INF bans nuclear and non-nuclear missiles with short and medium ranges, apart from sea-launched weapons.

This week, the US rejected Moscow’s offer to inspect its 9M729 missile, which the White House believes carries a range of 310 miles to 3,400 miles and violates the INF treaty.

Washington is adamant that with the weapon Russia could launch a nuclear strike against Nato countries at short notice.

But Russia insists tests show the 9M729 would be allowed under the INF deal.

After talks with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Moscow, Mr Lavrov claimed the US is already working on its own medium and short-range missiles, which are banned by the INF.

He said: “In the event of the collapse of this document, our practical actions will depend on how other countries, which already possess such weapons.

“Only last autumn, they [the United States] named two dates when, according to their estimates, tests that violated the INF treaty took place.

“We explained to them that the tests had indeed taken place, but the range was allowed by the treaty.”

The Russians claim that when they asked the US for proof of the range violation they received no response.

This week, Andrea Thompson, US under-secretary of state for arms control and international security, said the White House would pull out of the INF agreement on February 2.

The Russians viws US moves to withdraw from the INF Treaty as risking prospects of more nuclear disarmament.

Mr Lavrov said: “The entire architecture of arms control, including the New START, including the prospects for further nuclear disarmament and the sustainability of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, is in jeopardy.”

Mr Maas has now called for the scope of the INF treaty to be expanded to include other countries, including China, which has cyberspace weapons.

He said: “Today, there are too many new [weapons] systems, such as autonomous weapons systems and weapons in cyberspace, so that a treaty is necessary that would go beyond the scope of INF Treaty regulations and would regulate new technological capabilities.”

source: express.co.uk