Russia Hopes To Restore Full-Fledged Negotiations With US, Namely On INF Treaty - Putin

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th November, 2018) Russia hopes to restore a full-fledged negotiation process with the United States in order to address the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, along other things, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the RT France broadcaster.

"Anyway, we are ready for dialogue, as we are not the ones leaving the INF Treaty, while the United States is planning to do it. Both them, and we are committed to restoring dialogue. And it is even more important to have an expert-level dialogue than a dialogue on the high level or on the highest level. I hope that the full-scale negotiation process will be restored," Putin said.

In October, US President Donald Trump said that Washington intended to leave the INF Treaty, accusing Russia of violating it numerous times, while the Kremlin rejected the accusations, adding that Russia would be forced to take measures to ensure its security if the treaty was terminated by the United States.

The INF Treaty is a agreement that the United States and the Soviet Union signed in December 1987. It prohibited either country from possessing, producing or flight-testing ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (311 to 3,418 miles) and their launchers.