Putin criticizes US withdrawal from nuclear treaty

By Elena Teslova</p> <p>MOSCOW (AA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the U.S. decision to pull out from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty on Wednesday.</p> <p>It is &quot;a direct step towards undermining the entire system of agreements in the field of international security,” Putin told the Federal Security Service Board in Moscow. &quot;This, of course, changes the situation, and unfortunately not for the better.”</p> <p>In the last few decades the world has witnessed the destruction of the international legal base for disarmament.</p> <p>U.S. President George Bush announced in 2001, Washington unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty — considered a pillar of international security.</p> <p>In October 2018, U.S President Donald Trump announced the exit from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).</p> <p>In a tit-for-tat response, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Feb. 2 that Moscow was suspending its obligations under the INF treaty — done legally March 4.</p> <p>The treaty has been widely seen as a cornerstone of European security in the post-Cold War era after the U.S. and Russia signed it in 1987. It prohibits both countries from possessing and testing ground launch missiles with a range between 300 – 3,100 miles (900 – 5,500 kilometers).</p> <p>The prolongation of the last &quot;pillar&quot;, the START Treaty, is currently under question as the U.S. links it with the INF Treaty.</p> <p>