Russia Worried US Decision to Put Mid-Range Missile System in Asia-Pacific Final

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia is worried that the US decision to deploy intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region is irreversible, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, a US Army Pacific spokesperson told Sputnik that the United States is on track to deploy a medium-range missile system in the Asia-Pacific by the end of this year.

"I think that the US’s determination to acquire such potential and use it within the framework of the concept of dual deterrence is irreversible," Ryabkov told reporters.

Key statements by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov:

▪️Russia may reconsider its unilateral moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.

▪️On the possible deployment of intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region: "We… https://t.co/FspqoipLym

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) April 11, 2024

Moscow would like to see no further build-up of the capabilities that the United States has persistently built in recent years in an area that was previously regulated by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the diplomat said.

"As it was recently discussed during the visit of Russian Foreign Minister [Sergey Lavrov] to Beijing, we must respond to double containment with double counteraction. One of the points of such counteraction will undoubtedly be a revision of our approach to the unilateral moratorium on the deployment of such systems announced in 2018 by our president [Vladimir Putin]," Ryabkov said.

In 2018, Moscow said that "the deployment of US-made medium- and short-range weapons in any region of the world will lead to corresponding steps on [Russia's] part," the diplomat recalled.

When asked whether the deployment of similar US missiles on their territory on the island of Guam would be a reason for Russia to revise its unilateral moratorium, Ryabkov answered in the affirmative.