MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday that a US withdrawal from a nuclear weapons treaty would "make the world more dangerous," in response to comments by US President Donald Trump that Moscow was violating the treaty.
"Steps of this kind, if put into practice, will make the world more dangerous," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Piskov told reporters, adding that Moscow was waiting for "clarifications" from Washington in this regard.
"We will not be the first to attack anyone," Beskov said, adding that his country "does not consider that it has the right to be the first to launch an attack."
Moscow also said Russia would have to reciprocate if the United States began to develop new missiles. Trump announced last weekend that his country would withdraw from the treaty signed with Russia in 1987, accusing Moscow of violating it.
The Kremlin stressed that the United States itself is in violation of the Treaty on Nuclear Power Mid-range, stressing that Russia "will not be the first to attack anyone," referring to the retaliatory response.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Moscow expects Washington to explain its intention to withdraw from the historic Treaty of the Cold War era and to remove nuclear missiles from Europe.
In France, President Emmanuel Macaron stressed the importance of the medium-range nuclear weapons treaty in a telephone conversation with his US counterpart, his office said Monday.
"The president stressed the importance of this treaty, especially for European security and our strategic stability," McCron said.
The White House national security adviser, John Bolton, met Monday in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is waiting for clarifications in this regard.
