Europe will expose itself to retaliation if it agrees to deploy US missiles – Putin
RT,
25
October, 2018
Europeans
will be caught in the crosshairs of any potential conflict between
the US and Russia if they agree to host US missiles, Russian
President Vladimir Putin said, but there is no real reason to put
Europe in such a danger.
The
Russian president outlined a scenario in which the US would move to
withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty and
decide to place nuclear missiles at Russia's doorstep.
The
INF pact, which came into force in 1988, prohibits the development,
production and deployment of land-based and cruise missiles with
ranges of between 500km and 5,500km.
"If
they are deployed in Europe, we will naturally have to respond in
kind," Putin
told a news conference on Wednesday, adding that in this scenario,
European nations "should
understand they would expose their territory to the threat of a
possible retaliatory strike."
The
Russian leader said he would not like to see a nuclear build-up in
Europe, as it would put the continent itself in a vulnerable
position.
"I
don't understand why we should put Europe in such a grave danger," he
said. While Russia would not like to see this turn of events, it
would be forced to respond in kind.
FILE
PHOTO: Iskander tactical missile system © Reuters / Sergei Karpukhin
"I
would like to repeat that it's not our choice. We don't want
it," Putin
said.
The
warning from Moscow comes on the heels of US National Security
Advisor John Bolton's visit to Moscow. Bolton reaffirmed US President
Donald Trump's intent to pull out from the INF treaty, which has been
one of the main pillars of European security architecture for 30
years.
The
US claims that Russia is violating the INF deal by building missiles
that it prohibits. Moscow refutes these allegations and argues that
it is the US which has been non-compliant, as it can re-purpose the
missile defense complexes stationed in Europe and use them as
offensive launchers.
Another
pretext for Washington to ditch the agreement is ongoing Chinese
militarization. While in Moscow, Bolton said the US believes that
about a third to half of Chinese missile capability will be banned
under the agreement should it be trilateral.
Washington's
intent on relegating the agreement to the dustbin of history has
drawn sharp criticism from US allies in Europe, who argue that
getting rid of the Gorbachev-Reagan treaty will undermine Europe's
security.
France,
Germany and China have cautioned Trump against dismantling the deal,
warning that it would harm security across the entire globe.
Moscow
has said that the US would effectively unleash a new arms race if it
unilaterally quits the agreement.
Meanwhile,
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg struck a conciliatory note on Wednesday,
stating that the alliance is not considering deploying any more
nuclear missiles in Europe in response to the alleged "Russia
threat."
"We
don't want a new Cold War," he
said.
The British tabloid version, photo of an 'evil Putin' and all.
World War 3: Putin THREATENS retaliatory STRIKES on European nations who host US missiles
RUSSIAN
President Vladimir Putin threatened retaliation if European countries
allow the US to deploy intermediate-range missiles on their soil, at
a press conference with the Italian Prime Minister in Moscow
yesterday.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.