TASS:
MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The deployment of the US Aegis Ashore systems as ballistic missile defense infrastructure in Europe is a direct breach of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday.
“There is a new problematic issue, which has caused, perhaps, our greatest alarm and which we have started to raise before the United States in the bilateral format in the context of the treaty. It relates to the ground-based deployment of universal Mk-41 launchers as part of Aegis Ashore systems being deployed in Europe allegedly for solving solely anti-missile tasks,” the high-ranking Russian diplomat said.
“However, contrary to the treaty, the above-mentioned launchers allow for the combat use of Tomahawk medium-range cruise missiles and other strike armaments from the ground. We consider this as a direct and flagrant breach of the INF Treaty,” Ryabkov stressed.
