MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Russia will definitely remove the moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles now that the US is deploying these weapons, said Vasily Kashin, a director at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies.
Kashin, whose center is part of Russia’s National Research University Higher School of Economics, was commenting on Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov's statement that Russia does not rule out the deployment of nuclear-tipped missiles after US missiles appear in Germany.
"It is inevitable that our country will lift the moratorium," the researcher told TASS. "We warned the other side about our conditions, tried to reach an agreement, showed restraint, sometimes even to our own detriment, but that’s what they did (started the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles - TASS). I think a logical response would be mass production of this type of missiles, which should be an important priority for us."
According to the analyst, Russia can equip these missiles with both nuclear warheads and conventional warheads.
"Which ones will be deployed depends on the advisability of our decisions," the analyst said. "We do not know whether nuclear-tipped missiles will be put on duty, but in theory they can carry these warheads."
Kashin said that after the US withdrew from the 1987 Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, or the INF Treaty, Russia said that it would develop these weapons systems, but would observe a moratorium on their deployment until Washington started deploying these weapons itself.
"The Americans already crossed this line a few months ago in Europe and Asia at the same time," the analyst said. "They deployed a ground-based version of the Tomahawk cruise missile system on the Danish island of Bornholm, and they deployed the same system in the Philippines during exercises. Later, it was announced that this type of deployment will happen in Germany."
Russia’s potential
US moves to deploy these missiles in Europe and Asia, according to the analyst, mean that Russia "has a right and should, in the interests of its security, react symmetrically and proceed to deploy similar weapons systems wherever it is deems militarily advisable."
"If we go on to deploy these kinds of missiles, it will open a way for us to mass produce ground-based missiles. We will most likely be able to ramp up production to a higher level than the US or Europe could achieve," Kashin said.
Russia "could potentially produce more of these missiles than the adversary," he said.
Arms race
As a consequence of the US actions and Russia’s potential removal of the moratorium, there could be "an arms race," according to the researcher.
"The 1987 treaty restrained the development of this type of weapons in Europe, one could say, artificially," Kashin said. "We see that a number of countries in Asia are building powerful ground-based missile forces. China has made the most headway in this area, but South Korea, North Korea, Japan, and Taiwan have also made great progress. In the Middle East, Iran is actively engaged in this."