Putin has said Russia would mirror the US if it pulled out of the INF treaty and deployed restricted nuclear missiles in Europe. He also warned of a new "arms race" if Washington did not renew another key agreement.
"If the United States does withdraw from the INF treaty, the main question is what they will do with these newly available missiles," Putin said at a press conference alongside Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. "If they will deliver them to Europe, naturally our response will have to mirror this." he said.
Those European countries that would agree to station US missiles would, Putin added, "expose their territory to the threat of a possible retaliatory strike."
German reactions to Trump's threat to ditch nuclear treaty with Russia
US President Donald Trump's threat to pull out of the INF treaty with Russia drew concerned reactions from across the political spectrum in Germany. Russia also faced criticism for testing the treaty's terms.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
Merkel's government 'regrets' Trump's decision
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government voiced immediate concern over US President Donald Trump's threats to pull out of the INF nuclear arms treaty with Russia. Berlin said it "regrets" Washington's decision, adding that it urged Russia to "dispel the serious doubts about its adherence to the treaty that had arisen as a result of a new type of Russian missile."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
Foreign Ministry: US move puts Europe at risk
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that Trump's move poses "difficult questions for us and for Europe" since the INF treaty is "an important pillar of our European security architecture."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. von Jutrczenka
Defense minister urges NATO involvement
Maintaining the level of security in Europe was the primary concern of German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. "Regardless of whether the treaty has to be saved or renegotiated, it is important that all NATO states be included in the discussion," she told reporters during a trip to China.
Image: Reuters/How Hwee Young
Nobel-winners urge action from Germany
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which won a Nobel Peace Prize last year, called on Berlin to intervene in the tug-of-war between the US and Russia. The potential threat to people living in Europe is massive, warned Johannes Mikeska, the head of ICAN's Germany branch. "That's why it is urgent for the German government to now mediate between the US and Russia," he said.
Image: Getty Images/O. Messinger
Greens: Ban all US nukes from Germany
The Greens described Trump's move as "absolutely fatal." Annalena Baerbock, the co-leader of the Greens, urged Merkel's government to take a stand against Washington by getting rid of the US nuclear weapons still stationed in Germany. "If the German government is serious about its appeals to the US government, it must now say: 'We are ending Germany's nuclear participation,'" she said.
Image: Reuters/H. Hanschke
FDP leader backs Trump's argument
Christian Lindner, the leader of the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP), said although he thinks Trump's decision is "dangerous," Washington's reasoning was sound. "What's correct is that Putin isn't adhering to the INF!" Lindner wrote on Twitter. The FDP chief also slammed the Greens' proposal to remove US weapons from Germany, saying it would leave Germany "defenseless."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Schwarz
Germany, Europe 'extremely worried'
The deputy leader of the FDP, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, told DW that he was deeply concerned about the type of cruise missiles that were prohibited by the treaty. He noted that it "concerns a category of weapons that would reach Europe — not the continental United States." He added that he believes the treaty can be saved "if all sides share the intention of avoiding a really ruinous arms race."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
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The deal prohibits both sides from building, possessing or testing ground-launched nuclear cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (300 to 3,400 miles). It is credited with ending an arms race between the United States and Soviet Union in the last years of the Cold War.
Trump has left open the possibility of negotiating a replacement agreement that included China, which was not party to the original INF treaty. Putin said on Tuesday that he would consider meeting Trump in November to discuss the issue.
European leaders including Germany have criticized Trump's pledge to withdraw from the treaty. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said it posed "difficult questions for us and for Europe" because the treaty was "an important pillar of our European security architecture."
Speaking on Wednesday, Putin dismissed accusations Russia had violated the INF. He also said that "there would be nothing left except an arms race" if the United States also refused to renew New START, a 2010 agreement that restricts both sides' nuclear arsenals and is set to expire in 2021.
