Russia warns U.S. about deployment 

MOSCOW – Russia says it is not carrying out any “unusual military activity” and urges Washington to fully implement a Cold War-era arms control accord. In a statement on June 11, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry warned that the deployment of missiles by the United States near Russia’s borders would mean the “total destruction” of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. Russia also accused the United States of pushing Kyiv to continue the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have been battling Russian-backed separatists for more than a year. The statement comes after a U.S. State Department report accused Russia of violating its arms treaty obligations. Earlier this month, U.S. defense officials reportedly discussed deploying land-based missiles in Europe in response to Russia’s alleged violation of the INF treaty. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters, TASS and Interfax)