Russia's Foreign Ministry says the deployment of a US missile shield in Romania has violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, also known as INF treaty, signed by the US and the then Soviet Union in 1987. The ministry says it will respond with reciprocal measures.

"We view the deployment of these missile launchers on land as a violation of key clauses of the INF Treaty. Thus the United States has violated this treaty and we have to state this openly without any additional diplomatic niceties, it is about the violation of this treaty," said Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson.