US quitting INF Treaty huge mistake: Russian Foreign Ministry

REUTERS: The United States has made a grave mistake quitting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday. Several U.S. officials have confirmed that the United States has withdrawn from the INF Treaty on Friday and will test intermediate- and long-range missiles in the coming months. The Russian Foreign Ministry officially announced on the same day the formal termination of the INF at the initiative of the U.S. side. Russia urged the U.S. to take the necessary steps to ensure global stability and predictability. “Otherwise, all the responsibility for escalating tensions across the world will rest with Washington,” said the statement. Russia remains open to equitable and constructive dialogue with the U.S. for restoring trust and strengthening international security, according to the statement. TASS News Agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying the U.S. quitting INF Treaty will incur negative impacts to the world strategic security. He said the United States is trying to obtain supremacy in arms by disrupting a series of important arms control pacts, which jeopardizes the international strategic security as well as its own interests. The INF Treaty was signed in 1987 between the Soviet Union and the United States on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles. The two countries have accused each other of violating the agreement in recent years amid increasing tensions.