Russia’s defense minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday said the country must develop new types of missile systems in the next two years after Washington and Moscow ripped up a key arms control treaty.

The United States has repeatedly accused Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) agreement and on Friday President Donald Trump said Washington was starting the process of withdrawing from the treaty in six months.

Earlier on Friday, US President Donald Trump said Washington was starting the process of withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) agreement in six months.

The US has claimed that Russia had violated the treaty, an accusation Russia firmly denies.

In a tit-for-tat move on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was also leaving the treaty and beginning work on new types of weapons that would breach the crucial Cold War-era agreement.

At a meeting with officials on Tuesday, Shoigu said Russia should develop two new missile systems in the next two years.

“During 2019-2020 we have to develop a land-based version of the seaborne Kalibr system equipped with a long-range cruise missile which showed good results in Syria,” Shoigu told defense officials.

“Over the same period we will also have to create a land-based missile system with a long-range hypersonic missile,” he said.

The defense minister said the plans had been approved by Putin.

INF agreement forbids ground-launched, short- and intermediate-range missiles, but not those launched from the air or sea.

Source: AFP