US says Russia has 60 days to comply with INF
The US has issued an ultimatum to Russia that Washington will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty if Moscow does not return to compliance with the agreement within 60 days.
 |
| The US missile defense system (AAMDS) at Deveselu base, 180km south of Romania's capital Bucharest. Source: EPA/TTXVN |
On December 4, the United States issued an ultimatum to Russia that Washington would withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a Cold War-era pact limiting intermediate-range nuclear weapons, if Moscow did not return to compliance with the agreement within 60 days.
Speaking at a press conference after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers' meeting, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated: "Today, the United States declares Russia in violation of the treaty and within 60 days, we will terminate our obligations (to the treaty) as a remedy unless Russia returns to full and verifiable compliance."
According to Secretary of State Pompeo, Russia has developed "multiple battalions of SSC-8 missiles," also known as the Novator 9M729 medium-range cruise missile.
"The range of the missiles makes them a direct threat to Europe," he asserted.
Meanwhile, NATO issued a statement backing the US accusations against Russia, formally accusing Moscow of violating the INF, a treaty that eliminated ground-launched nuclear missiles from Europe.
After the NATO foreign ministers' meeting, the foreign ministers of the bloc issued a statement stating: "The allies have concluded that Russia has developed and deployed a missile system called 9M729, which violates the INF Treaty and poses a significant risk to Euro-Atlantic security. We strongly support the US conclusions that Russia has seriously violated its obligations under the INF Treaty"./.
