MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday laid out plans forMoscow to develop mid-range missiles banned under a Cold War treaty withthe United States if Washington abandons the deal.

Tensions have raged over the fate of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forcestreaty (INF), with US President Donald Trump promising to walk away fromthe agreement and Putin threatening a new arms race.

Washington this month said it would withdraw from the INF within 60 days ifRussia did not dismantle missiles that the US claims breach the deal.

The bilateral agreement forbids ground-launched short- andintermediate-range missiles, but not those launched from the air or sea.

Speaking at a defence ministry meeting, Putin said Russia s seaborne Kalibrand air-launched Kh-101 cruise missiles — as well as cutting-edgehypersonic Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles — would be converted for groundlaunch if Washington ditches the INF treaty.

“It probably won t be very difficult to conduct appropriate research anddevelopment and put them on the ground if need be,” he said.

Putin once again touted the Kinzhal missile, which he first unveiled aspart of an array of next-generation nuclear weapons in his annualstate-of-the-nation address earlier this year.

“No one else has it yet,” he said.

He said the deployment of Kalibr missiles during Moscow s Syria campaignproved useful, allowing the military to fine-tune “this very promising”weapon.

Putin also suggested he was open to the idea of other countries joining theINF treaty or to starting talks on a new agreement.

Signed in 1987 by then US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader MikhailGorbachev, the treaty bans ground-launched missiles with a range of between500 and 5,500 kilometres.

The deal resolved a crisis over Soviet nuclear-tipped ballistic missilestargeting Western capitals, but put no restrictions on other major militaryactors like China.

“Yes, indeed there are certain difficulties with this treaty,” Putin said.

“Other countries possessing short- and intermediate-range missiles are notparty to it.

“But what prevents (us) from starting talks on their accession to theexisting treaty or starting negotiating the parameters of a new treaty?”

Putin has said about a dozen countries were producing missiles of the typebanned by the INF treaty.

Military expert Vasily Kashin said it would be fairly easy to convertKalibr and Kh-101 cruise missiles for ground launch, though the Kinzhalhypersonic missile would need more work.

“This is not a threat, this is what will be unavoidable if there is notreaty,” Kashin said.

He said ground-based intermediate-range missiles were cheaper, so Russiacould place more of them in range of European targets, but added thatMoscow wanted to keep the treaty to protect itself against a possible USattack.

Defence expert Alexander Golts said he doubted it would be possible torescue the agreement and that expecting China to join the deal was”absolutely unrealistic”.

“This is 90 percent of China s nuclear weapons capabilities,” he said.

Former Cold War enemies Russia and the US have accused each other of beingin breach of the agreement and Washington has said honouring it no longermade sense. Putin has said that Europe would be the main victim of a newUS-Russia arms race.

The European Union has urged Russia and the US to save the deal.

A 60-day grace period — granted by the US as a concession to Europeanpartners — on the issue will expire in mid-February.- APP/AFP