Putin says Russia will produce new missiles after demise of nuclear pact

VLADIVOSTOK: President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia would produce missiles that were banned under a landmark Cold-War era nuclear pact that ended last month, but that Moscow would not deploy them unless the United States did so first.

Speaking at an economic forum in Russia's Far East, Putin said he was concerned by US talk of deploying missiles in Japan and South Korea, a deployment he said would cover parts of Russian territory.

Washington pulled out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) pact last month accusing Russia of violating it, allegations Moscow denied.