Putin calls to resume production of INF strike systems

Russia needs to start the production of intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) strike systems in response to the actions of the US, Russian president Vladimir Putin said.

"In 2019, we announced that we would not produce these missiles, and we would not deploy them until the US completes the deployment of these systems in some regions of the world," Putin said on Friday at a meeting of the Russian Security Council as reported by Xinhua news agency.

However, the US now not only produces these missile systems, but has already brought them to Europe for military exercises, he added.

"Apparently, we need to start manufacturing these systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where, if necessary to ensure our safety, to deploy them," Putin stressed.

The US and the Soviet Union signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987, which prohibited possessing, developing and testing ground-based ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 km.

The US officially announced its withdrawal from the INF treaty in 2019.