Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused the US of plotting to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which severely limits short and medium-range nuclear missiles.

The US has been repeatedly accusing Russia of violating the INF, a treaty from 1987, based on the test of, and subsequent deployment of, a certain model of missile. Russia has insisted that the missile does not violate the letter of INF.

Though the test is at this point several years ago, the US every once in awhile starts hyping the "violation," and talking up taking retaliatory measures, which Russia expects to be a withdrawal from the pact.

At the sane time, Russia has said the US is violating the INF anyhow with its deployment of missile defense systems along the Russian frontier, since the whole point of INF was to keep a balance of power in the region, and prevent an arms race.