US to bolster N-arms: Trump
washington — President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States is ready to build up its nuclear arsenal after announcing it is abandoning a Cold War-era nuclear treaty, as Russia warned the withdrawal could cripple global security.
Trump sparked concern globally at the weekend by saying he wanted to jettison the three-decade-old Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed former US president Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader.
The Kremlin said that a landmark nuclear arms treaty Washington says it wants to quit had its weak points, but that the US approach of talking about leaving it without proposing a replacement was dangerous.
Bolton visited Moscow a day after Russia said it would be forced to respond in kind to restore the military balance with the United States if Trump followed through on his threat to quit the treaty and began developing new missiles.
Bolton has said he thinks the treaty is outdated because it does not cover countries such as China, Iran and North Korea which he says remain free to make intermediaterange ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
Bolton said President Trump wishes to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when the two visit Paris on November 11 for World War I commemorations. “I think President Trump will look forward to seeing you in Paris on the sidelines of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice,” Bolton told Putin in televised remarks as the two met for talks in Moscow.
Putin said: “It would be useful to continue a direct dialogue with the president of the US... for example in Paris, if the American side is interested.”
Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he expected Bolton to explain the US stance to Putin. “Of course there are weak points (in the treaty), but tearing up the agreement without plans for anything new is what we don’t welcome,” Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that Germany would seek Nato’s help to maintain the treaty between Russia and the United States, and was ready to take action to force Moscow to comply with the pact.
“Now that the United States want to unilaterally withdraw from the treaty, they start to inappropriately speak about other countries,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing. —
Until people come to their senses, we will build it up. It’s a threat to whoever you want. And it includes China. And it includes Russia
Donald Trump, US President
We have this very unusual circumstance where the US and Russia are in a bilateral treaty, whereas other countries are not bound by it John Bolton,
National security advisor
Of course there are weak points (in the treaty), but tearing up the agreement without plans for anything new is what we don’t welcome
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman
Now that the US wants to unilaterally withdraw from the treaty, they start to inappropriately speak about other countries Hua Chunying, Chines foreign ministry spokeswoman