Putin suspends INF arms treaty with US

President Vladimir Putin on Monday officially suspended Russia's participation in a key Cold War-era arms treaty, after the US first moved to ditch the INF deal.

Putin "signed a decree regarding the suspension of Russia's participation in the agreement between the USSR and the US," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The move was taken following "a violation of the United States of its obligations under the treaty," it said.

Moscow and Washington have accused one another of breaching the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces agreement concluded between the US and the former Soviet Union in 1987.

US President Donald Trump said in February that Washington would start a process to withdraw from the deal within six months.

Putin responded soon after that Russia was planning to suspend its involvement.

He said Russia would seek to develop medium-range missiles in response to what he said were similar projects in the US, raising the spectre of a new arms race.

In his state of the nation address ...