BEIJING. Oct 21 (Interfax) - Restoration of Russia's defense potential, the growing might of China, and their expanding military-technical cooperation are reasons behind the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at the plenary meeting of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Monday.
"We are sure that the real reason why Washington has unilaterally quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is deterrence of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation," Shoigu said.
"The Treaty stopped accommodating U.S. needs amid the growing military and economic might of China, restoration of Russia's defense potential, and expanding defense and military-technical cooperation between these two states," he said.
By accusing Russia of violating the INF Treaty, "the United States was preparing for its dismantlement in advance," he said.
"They were designing attack drones, using intermediate-range ballistic missiles as targets, and deploying Mark 41 Vertical Launching Systems originally designed to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles in Europe. This is proven by the fact that a ground-launched cruise missile, which, according to the United States, hit a target on a distance exceeding 500 kilometers, was tested 16 days after the Treaty was denounced," Shoigu said.
"The multilevel security system, which has been providing stability and balance of forces for years, is being dismantled in the field of arms control," he said.
"This includes the United States' refusal to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and unilateral withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty," Shoigu said.