The Lockheed Martin's THAAD missile defense system is seen during the 3rd annual Made in America product showcase at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, July 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)
"We believe that the U.S. withdrawal from the INF Treaty was planned in advance. Accusations that Russia violated the agreement are baseless," Fomin said.
MOSCOW, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The claims of a former U.S. senior official that China was one of the reasons behind the termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty are false, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Friday.
"We do not see China's activities in the missile sector as a threat to security, and even more so, as a reason for the destruction of the INF Treaty," Fomin was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as saying.
"Regarding the thesis of John Bolton on the increasing threat from China, I would like to emphasize that this is a banal distortion of facts," he said, commenting on the memoir of the former U.S. national security adviser.
"We believe that the U.S. withdrawal from the INF Treaty was planned in advance. Accusations that Russia violated the agreement are baseless," Fomin said.
"For a long time, the United States has pursued a consistent policy of renouncing its arms control obligations in order to ensure its military domination," he added. ■
