MOSCOW, October 12./TASS/. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) was unilaterally terminated by the United States, which wanted to remove any legal obstacles to the development of strike weapons, Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov told TASS in an interview.

""Let's put it bluntly: the treaty was not suspended, it was simply unilaterally destroyed by the Americans, who suddenly decided that it was preventing them from strengthening their security. In fact, they just wanted to remove the legal obstacle in order to develop strike weapons, which they were already developing at full steam by the time the INF Treaty collapsed," Venediktov said.