Washington Not Contemplating Deploying Nuclear Missiles in Europe - US Official

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is not considering deploying nuclear-tipped missiles in Europe, US Undersecretary of Defence for Policy John Rood told guests at the Hudson Institute on Wednesday.

"We don’t have any plans right now and aren’t contemplating deployment of nuclear missiles in Europe or anything of that nature," Rood said.

Rood’s remarks come after the United States and then Russia announced they were suspending obligations under the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

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Rood explained that the United States currently has no system of ground-launched missiles, but it is engaging in research to fill in the void.

The INF Treaty targeted a nuclear arms race in Europe during the final days of the Cold War by banning all ground-launched missiles, conventional or nuclear, with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles).