The Russian Foreign Ministry declared that U.S. plans to deploy the Aegis missile defense system in Poland and Romania is a violation of the INF Treaty. The Romanian location was stood up in 2016 and is operational.
“The United States has deployed Aegis Ashore anti-missile systems at its base in Romania and plans to deploy another such system in Poland. Such systems incorporate vertical launch systems similar to Mk-41 universal systems that are capable of launching intermediate-range cruise missiles Tomahawk…Obviously, it is a flagrant violation of liabilities under the INF Treaty,” the ministry stressed.
Russia also accused the U.S. of violating test restrictions of the treaty and the use of unmanned vehicles that also are against the treaty’s stipulations.
“Notably, we have been pointing to the two latter violations of the INF Treaty for 15 years,” the ministry said. “But there is no constructive reaction.”.
“While implementing its anti-missile plans, the United States must be guided, in deed but not in words, by the generally recognized principle of inadmissibility of strengthening own security at the expense of other states. Notably, Washington has repeatedly reiterated this principle in corresponding international formats,” the ministry said on Saturday commenting on the latest regular report of the US Department of State on observance by states of non-proliferation and weapons control agreements.
