OREANDA-NEWS. The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that on September 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to several dozen states proposing a moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range nuclear missiles. The letter was received by the leaders of all NATO countries and China, as well as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg.

“We urge you to support our efforts by announcing a NATO-wide moratorium on the deployment of ground-based (missiles. – Ed.) similar to the one announced by Russia,” Putin wrote to the Western military alliance. “I would like to note that the implementation of such a scheme will require additional verification measures, especially in conditions where launchers for medium-range missiles are already located in Europe. We are ready to discuss relevant technical aspects.”

According to a Kommersant’s source of information in the foreign ministry of one of the countries of the NATO, the organization considered the proposal to be nonsense, because they are sure that Russia has already deployed such weapons in its European territory.

On February 2, the United States withdrew from the The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty). Washington authorities accused Moscow of non-compliance with the agreement. According to them, the Russian army was developing a new ground-based cruise missile with a flight range of more than 500 kilometers in violation of the treaty. The Kremlin filed counterclaims. The INF Treaty expired on August 2.