MOSCOW. Oct 27 (Interfax) - With the dismantlement of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), the Asia Pacific region is facing a new round of an arms race, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"We have pointed out repeatedly that, with the termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the region has been facing the possible appearance of these attack systems across its wide space, and therefore, the prospect of a new round of an arms race," Putin said at the East Asia Summit in a videoconference format.
"Completely understanding the danger of such developments, Russia, as is well known, has declared a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in the Asia Pacific region and in other regions of the world and proposed a substantive conversation on the matter with all countries concerned," he said.
"This proposal from Russia remains on the table, and its relevance is even growing," Putin said.