Russia may fire missiles at U.S. targets in Europe if President Trump follows through with his threat of withdrawing from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a landmark weapons agreement reached near the end of the Cold War, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned Thursday.
“An exit from the INF Treaty could potentially lead to the [U.S.] deployment of medium-range and short-range missiles in European countries like during the Cold War,” Mr. Peskov said in an interview with state-run media, The Moscow Times reported.
“The deployment of these missiles there and their potential pointing toward Russia will lead Russia to target these launchers with its missile arsenal,” Mr. Peskov added, according to the outlet’s translation.
Signed in 1987 by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the former Soviet Union, the INF effectively compelled both countries to eliminate their stockpiles of short- and intermediate-range missiles and missile launchers, paving the way for the Cold War’s conclusion early the next decade.
Decades later, Mr. Trump recently threatened to withdraw from the agreement, citing apparent violations on the part of Russia.
“Russia has violated the agreement. They have been violating it for many years,” Mr. Trump said in October. “And we’re not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons, and we’re not allowed to.”
“We’ll have to develop those weapons, unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us, and they all come to us and say let’s really get smart and lets none of us develop those weapons, but if Russia is doing it and if China is doing it, and we’re adhering to the agreement, that’s unacceptable,” Mr. Trump added.
Addressing reporters earlier Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the U.S. “shouldn’t whine later” if Mr. Trump abandons the agreement and Moscow retaliates, The Times reported.
“If, God forbid, [nuclear war] were to happen, it would lead to the end of all civilization and maybe also the planet,” Mr. Putin said at a press event.
The White House did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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