Poland's foreign ministry said on Friday that Russia bears full responsibility for the collapse of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), after the United States formally withdrew from the landmark 1987 pact.
"Russia's lack of readiness to return to compliance with the INF did not leave the United States any choice," the foreign ministry said on Twitter.
The United States formally withdrew from a landmark nuclear missile pact with Russia on Friday after determining that Moscow was in violation of the treaty, something the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.
Washington signalled it would pull out of the arms control treaty six months ago unless Moscow stuck to the accord. Russia called the move a ploy to exit a pact the United States wanted to leave anyway in order to develop new missiles.
The 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was negotiated by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
It banned land-based missiles with a range of between 310 and 3,400 miles (500-5,500 km), thus reducing both countries' ability to launch a nuclear strike at short notice.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: mil.ru