• Moscow: the US could deploy 48 missiles in Europe, we cannot ignore this threat
  • Trump towards withdrawal from the historic nuclear weapons treaty with Moscow

Share

01 February 2019

"Russia has violated the nuclear weapons treaty for years and has shown no serious commitment to respecting it": this is how US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo motivated the Trump administration's decision to withdraw US participation from the treaty Inf (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty).

"The United States has done everything to preserve this treaty - added Pompeo - but Russia has put and puts at risk the interests of the United States on the security front. For this - the US secretary continued - we can no longer be bound by an agreement while Russia violently violates it ".

. @ SecPompeo: We provide #Russia an ample window of time to send its ways and honor its commitment. Russia has refused to take any steps to return real and verifiable compliance over these 60 days. The US will therefore suspend obligations under #INFTreaty effective February 2. pic.twitter.com/N4vI4Ye7jV

- Department of State (@StateDept) February 1, 2019


The historic agreement, signed on December 8th 1987 by the then American president Ronald Reagan and the Russian Mikhail Gorbachev, led to the destruction of as many as 2,692 missiles, 846 Americans and 1,846 Russians and was one of the milestones of the end of the cold war. Pompeo added that the United States is ready to start a wide-ranging negotiation with Moscow on arms control.

"We are still ready and willing to commit Moscow to nuclear weapons control," the US Secretary of State said, recalling that it will take six months for the US withdrawal from the Inf treaty to take effect. A time frame in which a new understanding could be worked on. "Pompeo also reiterated that" the strength and unity of the Atlantic Alliance are the key to international security. "President Trump himself, in the evening, has having said that it is necessary that Russia and the US sit in the room to address the issue.

Moscow: measures in response to US exit from the treaty
"Moscow reserves the right to corresponding reactions and measures in response" to the announcement of the United States. This was stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "Of course, it will be done," he added to the broadcaster Rossiya-1.

Berlin: without the Inf Treaty there will be less security
"Without the treaty there will be less security." The German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said via Twitter, commenting on the official intention of the US to exit the anti-missile treaty Inf. "We do not need a debate on rearmament but comprehensive control over armaments," he said. the German minister continued. "Unfortunately, Russia is not ready to re-establish loyalty to the treaty," Maas added.

UN: US and Russia use the 6-month window to bridge the differences
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "hopes the parties will use the next six months to resolve their differences through dialogue". Thus the spokesman of the Glass Palace, Stephane Dujarric, commented on the US decision to withdraw from the treaty with Russia on the control of nuclear weapons. Emphasizing that Inf is a very important part of disarmament architecture.