Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday that Russia will take proactive measures regarding the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty to protect its national security. “Our actions in the INF Treaty sphere, as well as in the field of military development in general, are motivated by concern for the security of our country,” he said, according to Russian news agency TASS. He added, “We are responding to what our adversaries and opponents deem acceptable: attempts to pressure, blackmail, and dictate to Russia. We will never accept this.”

“If the price of our response to this policy is increased tension, then so be it. Call it what you will – ‘escalation,’ or whatever – but we are not the ones escalating first. That’s the point. There are situations when it is necessary to act preemptively and anticipate certain steps a potential adversary may take. This will certainly continue to be done,” he added.