Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday the country could "easily" create and install medium-range missiles on land bases if the United States leaves the nuclear arms treaty signed between the United States in 1987 and the then Soviet Union.
The US had accused Russia of disobeying the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Washington and Moscow in the Cold War. The Americans threatened to leave the agreement unless Russia respected it again.
On Tuesday Putin denied that the country violated the agreement, according to Reuters. He said, however, that he had developed airborne or sea-based missiles, and said he could easily develop land-based missiles should Washington leave the pact.
"But there is nothing to prevent us from initiating talks about its inclusion in the current treaty or starting to address the parameters of a new one," Putin said a day after his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow opposed it.
The Russian government had already commented that Trump's threat would make "the world more dangerous." Moscow expects "explanations" from Washington, which has alleged violations of Russia to make that decision.
