Speaking just weeks after President Trump and Putin confirmed they were pulling out of the landmark Cold War-era Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, Putin took aim at the United States, saying its deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles in Romania and Poland violated the terms of the treaty.
“Russia will be forced to create and develop weapons that can both be used on the territory where the threat comes from and decision-making centers,” Putin told lawmakers gathered in a historic hall near the Kremlin.
Current terms dictate that Moscow and Washington have a six-month negotiation period during which they can try resolve to their differences before a full withdrawal from the treaty.
Referring to the United States, Putin said, “They are talented, for sure, but can they count? I believe they can. So let them count the range of our missiles.”
