Putin Orders New Missiles After US Leaves Arms Treaty

ABC News reports:

President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia’s military to begin developing new medium-range missiles in response to President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States is leaving a key Cold War nuclear arms treaty.

Putin announced that Russia was also suspending the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces, or INF treaty, a day after the U.S. said it was pulling out of the 1987 agreement over alleged Russian violations.

At a televised meeting with his foreign and defense ministers, Putin ordered his military to begin developing new ground-launched hypersonic missiles with an intermediate range, and to also begin converting previously sea-based cruise missiles for ground launch — the deployment of which was banned under the treaty.