Putin accuses U.S. of violating treaty

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused the U.S. of violating a landmark Cold Warera nuclear arms pact and harboring aggressive intentions, and pledged to fend off any potential threats at a fraction of the U.S. cost.

Putin, speaking during a meeting with the top military brass, alleged that the U.S. missile defense sites in Romania containing interceptor missiles could also house ground-to-ground intermediate-range cruise missiles, which would be in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

He added that U.S. launches of target vehicles as part of tests represented another violation of the pact that bans all land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 310 to 3,410 miles.

Washington has rejected claims of perceived violations and accused Russia of breaking the pact by developing a new cruise missile — accusations Moscow has denied.

“They are searching for some violations on our part while consistently infringing on it themselves,” Putin said. “All that seriously affects security in Europe and in the whole world.”

The Russian leader also pointed at the new U.S. national security strategy as proof of what he described as Washington’s aggressive intentions.

He emphasized that the deployment of NATO forces near Russia’s borders has threatened its security.

“When we move military units on our own territory, they present it as some kind of a threat,” he said. “And when they move military bases, infrastructure and new weapons near our borders, they present it as something normal. It’s probably normal for those who do it, but not for us.”

NATO has deployed military units to Poland and the Baltics to reassure allies worried over Russia’s intentions since its 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea and its support for pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.