US calls on Russia to destroy new missile system
(Baonghean.vn) - On January 21, US Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs Robert Wood said that the US called on Russia to destroy the new cruise missile system which, according to Washington, is a "direct violation" of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and accused Moscow of destabilizing global security.
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| Russian S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile launcher. Photo: Getty |
Speaking at the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Mr. Wood stated: "Unfortunately, the United States increasingly recognizes that Russia cannot be trusted because it does not comply with its arms control obligations, and that Moscow's coercive and malign actions around the world have increased tensions. Russia must verifiably destroy all SSC-8 missiles as well as launchers and related equipment to return to compliance with the INF Treaty."
The INF was signed by the leaders of the United States and the former Soviet Union on December 8, 1987, and officially took effect on June 1, 1988. According to the INF, both sides pledged not to produce, test, or deploy ballistic missiles and ground-based cruise missiles of medium and short range (from 500 to 5,500 km).
On October 21, 2018, US President Donald Trump accused Russia of violating the treaty by manufacturing the “Novator 9M729” missile and hinted at the possibility of the US withdrawing from the INF. On December 4, the US announced that it would withdraw from this treaty if Russia did not return to compliance within 60 days. However, Moscow asserted that Russia complied with the INF while the US always violated it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the US withdrawal from the INF would threaten the fate of the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3), the last document in the field of arms control. Many of America's allies in Europe also opposed the US withdrawal from the INF due to concerns about a new arms race.
