National security adviser Bolton in Moscow to talk missiles amid Kremlin concerns

Oct. 22 (UPI) -- National security adviser John Bolton will meet with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Tuesday, just days after President Donald Trump announced the United States would pull out a Reagan-era nuclear treaty.

Bolton met with Russian security adviser Nikolai Patrushev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Monday.

In addition to the nuclear treaty, Bolton will discuss Russian aggression in Ukraine, the situation in Syria and Russian meddling in the U.S. election.

Trump accused Russia over the weekend of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, which prohibits the United States and Russia from having medium-range, ground-launched cruise missiles with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles. It was a landmark pact for the two countries.

The chance of U.S. withdrawal angered Russian leaders who say the United States started developing the missiles. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov demanded an explanation Monday.

"This is a question of strategic security. Such measures can make the world more dangerous," Psekov said. "It means that the United States is not disguising, but is openly starting to develop these systems in the future, and if these systems are being developed, then actions are necessary from other countries, in this case Russia, to restore balance in this sphere."

Trump contends the United States has honored its end of the agreement, but Russia did not.

"They've been violating it for many years," Trump said. "And I don't know why President Obama didn't negotiate or pull out. And we're not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we're not allowed to ... So we're going to terminate the agreement."

The treaty was signed by then President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbatchev in 1987.