US withdraws arms control agreement, Putin alarms

Russia's President Vladimir Putin will request John Bolton's explanation of why Washington plans to withdraw from the arms control agreement.

Putin will ask for an explanation when in Moscow next week he will plead with US National Security Adviser, broadcasting Reuters citing a statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov for Ria Novosti. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who in 1987 along with US President Ronald Reagan signed the agreement on middle-ranking nuclear forces, misjudged the current White House head Donald Trump's plan to withdraw from the deal today. Interfax reports that Gorbachev said “in any circumstances should not break old agreements on disarmament”.

“Do they really understand Washington and where it can lead? The withdrawal from the mess-level nuclear weapons deal is wrong”, he said. Trump said on Saturday he would pull out of this deal because Russia, as he said, “for years -- is violating it, and because the document prevents the US from developing new weapons, Kosovo Press broadcasts. The deal prevents the US and Russia from possessing, producing and testing land missiles in the range of 500 to 5,500km.