Russia nuclear treaty: Bolton in Moscow amid missile tensions

US national security adviser John Bolton is in Moscow for talks after Russia gave a frosty reception to news the US was dropping a nuclear treaty.

President Donald Trump said Russia had violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty and the US planned to withdraw as a result.

The treaty signed in 1987 restricted US and Russian short- and medium-range nuclear missiles.

Mr Bolton is reported to have been a key voice pushing for the withdrawal.

He is due to meet senior officials during his pre-planned visit but may now meet President Vladimir Putin too.

As Mr Bolton began his visit on Monday, the Kremlin warned it would take steps to maintain the balance of nuclear power.

"We need to hear the American side's explanation on this issue," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "Scrapping the treaty forces Russia to take steps for its own security."

What did the treaty do?
The INF treaty was signed by US President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, in the last years of the Cold War.

It banned ground-launched medium-range missiles, with a range of between 500 and 5,500km (310-3,400 miles) - both nuclear and conventional - effectively reducing the perceived threat to European nations from Soviet missiles.

It has stayed in effect for three decades but on Saturday President Trump said Russia had not adhered to the deal.