Russia and China have condemned the US and accused it of ratcheting up global tensions after it tested a ground-launched cruise missile, just two weeks after pulling out of a cold war-era arms treaty that banned the development of such weapons.
This month the US withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which banned development of cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500km to 5,500km, citing alleged Russian violations of its rules. The treaty was one of the key pillars of global arms control infrastructure.
The test suggests the US is keen to demonstrate its land-based missile launch capabilities and its ability to develop systems that were banned under the treaty. Analysts have warned that the breakdown of the agreement could herald a new arms race and mass deployment of new missile launching systems in Europe and Asia.