Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Russian Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin during a meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) (Associated Press)MOSCOW — Russia will develop land-based intermediate range missiles within two years, the nation’s defense minister said Tuesday, a statement that comes in response to the U.S. decision to abandon a key nuclear arms pact. Russia has rejected the U.S. claim that it has built and deployed a cruise missile that violated the treaty’s ban on land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,410 miles). He said at a meeting with senior officers that a land-based version of the navy’s Kalibr cruise missile and a new land-based hypersonic missile must be built in 2019-2020. “Russia will not station intermediate-range weapons in Europe or other regions until similar U.S. weapons appear in those regions,” he said.

Source: Washington Post February 05, 2019 16:04 UTC