US Tests Cruise Missile After INF Treaty Exit

Russia on Tuesday, August 20, criticized the United States for testing a ground-based missile that until three weeks ago had been banned under an arms treaty between the two nations. “The United States has obviously taken the course of escalating military tensions,“ Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to the state-run TASS news agency. Ryabkov said Russia would not be drawn into a “costly arms race.“ His comments came a day after the Pentagon announced the test. The missile, launched Sunday at San Nicolas Island, California, “accurately impacted its target after more than 500 kilometers of flight,“ the Pentagon announced in a news release Monday. “Data collected and lessons learned from this test will inform the Department of Defense’s development of future intermediate-range capabilities,“ it added.