The INF Treaty – Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed by the United States and the USSR in 1987. Russia has dismissed Washington’s claims that Moscow is violating a major Cold War the INF Treaty limiting mid-range nuclear arms from which the United States is planning to withdraw.
Russia’s nuclear-capable missiles are mobile and hard to detect and can hit cities in Europe with little to no warning, which according to NATO dramatically changes the security calculus on the continent.
The allegations have come a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would withdraw from the INF treaty within 60 days if Russia does not dismantle missiles that the US claims to breach the deal. In October, US President Donald Trump had sparked global concern by declaring that the United States would pull out of the treaty and build up America’s nuclear stockpile ‘until people come to their senses’.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the US had initially highlighted its intention to withdraw from the treaty. “Then it began to look for justifications for doing so. The primary justification is that we are violating something. At the same time, as usual, no evidence of violations on our part has been provided.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described the treaty was a ‘cornerstone of global stability and international security’. Federica Mogherini European Union Diplomatic Chief urged the two countries to save the treaty. He warned that the EU did not want to become a battlefield for global powers once again.
Mogherini said “the INF has guaranteed peace and security in European territory for 30 years. It has to be fully implemented, so I hope that the time that is there to work on preserving the treaty and achieving its full implementation can be used wisely from all sides, and we will definitely try to make our part to make sure this happens.”
According to NATO and US, the 9M279 also known by the designation SSC-8 violates the INF treaty which banned ground-launched missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.
Space Daily stated that Russia’s nuclear-capable missiles are mobile and hard to detect and can hit cities in Europe with little to no warning, which according to NATO dramatically changes the security calculus on the continent.
The INF treaty was signed in 1987 between US President Ronald Reagan and the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. In the last five years, Washington has raised concerns over Russian missiles at least 30 times.
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