ASTANA. July 4 (Interfax) - Russia is ready to start producing intermediate and shorter-range missiles, the corresponding orders have already been issued to the industry, experimental design bureaus are working in this direction, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"If you remember, I have said that due to the United States' withdrawal from this treaty [Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty] and the announcement that they are starting production, we also believe we have the right to start experimental design work, development, and later production," Putin told a press conference in Astana on Thursday.
This experimental design and development work is already being done, he said.
"We are ready to start production, we have already generally given the corresponding orders to the industry," the Russian president said.
"As to deployment, if you remember, if you don't, I'll remind you - I said we were declaring a moratorium on possible placement of our corresponding systems in the future until these missile systems appeared in some region in the world," he said.
"And if intermediate and shorter range missile systems of U.S. manufacture appear somewhere, we reserve the right to take tit-for-tat actions," Putin said.
Putin said at a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council on June 28 that Russia should apparently start producing intermediate and shorter range missiles and decide on the place of their deployment based on the interests of the country's security in retaliation to similar actions taken by the United States.