The United States' intention to deploy midrange missiles in the Asia Pacific region to counter the alleged Chinese threat can jeopardize both regional and international stability and trigger a new arms race, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2020) The United States' intention to deploy midrange missiles in the Asia Pacific region to counter the alleged Chinese threat can jeopardize both regional and international stability and trigger a new arms race, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
On Friday, US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea told Japan's Nikkei that his country is in talks with its Asian allies about deploying midrange missiles to counter "the immediate threat" of China's nuclear arsenal. According to Zakharova, the claims have a clear anti-Chinese nature, being an attempt to pit US allies against Beijing.
"We believe that this is a destabilizing measure in terms of international and regional security. Undoubtedly, the emergence of new US missiles in the region would provoke a dangerous cycle of the arms race again. We also have to take into account that such weapons would create additional missile risks for our territory, including for objects of strategic importance, which will require the necessary response measures," the spokeswoman said at a briefing.
The United States withdrew from the 1987 INF Treaty in August 2019 after formally suspending its obligations in February and triggering a six-month withdrawal process after accusing Russia of violating the accord, something that Moscow denied.
