MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. Russia will end the moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles on its territory if the US deploys such systems anywhere in the world, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters.

"We have already said more than once that the appearance of US medium-range and shorter-range capabilities in any region of the world will mean our rejection of the moratorium you mentioned," he said, when asked by TASS whether Russia would continue to adhere to the moratorium, given that the US has deployed Typhon ground-based missile systems, which were previously banned under the INF Treaty, in the Philippines.

"When it will happen is an open question. The moratorium was announced by the president. So, any decisions in this regard are made at the highest level. The Americans know very well that the period of relative stability in this area will end for them, but they are taking another other path," the diplomat went on to say.

Ryabkov said the US seeks to maintain military superiority in a great variety of areas.

"But historical experience, I think, demonstrates to the entire international community that in any case they will not achieve decisive superiority over those whom they perceive as strategic rivals. This is in reference to the question of how sustainable or unsustainable Russia's unilateral moratorium on the deployment of such systems is," the diplomat continued.