Photo: Flickr/Gage Skidmore
US President Donald Trump announced that the United States will suspend the implementation of the INF Treaty and start the procedure for withdrawing from the contract on February 2, Vedomosti reports.
The exit process will last half a year and will end if "Russia does not return to compliance with the treaty". The head of the US State Department Mike Pompeo clarified that they expect Moscow to eliminate the 9M729 missile, RIA Novosti reports.
Member of the Federation Council Franz Klintsevich noted that if Washington refuses to comply with the INF Treaty, then Moscow is not going to follow it unilaterally. We will respond, the senator promised. But at the same time, Russia will not get involved in the arms race, no matter how much the United States would like that.
Leonid Slutsky, Head of the Duma’s International Affairs Committee, also believes that the decision of the United States is fraught with an arms race. Washington does not hide the fact that it plans to use this situation to increase its missile, and, possibly, nuclear potential, the parliamentarian believes.
As Russkiy Mir reported, Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow had never violated the treaty, so all the arguments from the United States are considered untenable. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also dismissed the requirement of Washington to eliminate the 9M729 missiles as unacceptable.
Moscow even took an unprecedented step of transparency and showed the rocket and its launcher. Washington can take the same path and act openly, the diplomat suggested. There is no doubt that such actions will help preserve the treaty, Ryabkov is convinced. This is exactly what the world community expects from Moscow and Washington.
Russkiy Mir
