US-Russia treaty under strain

The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from Cold War INF missile treaty could set off a new arms race

The Trump administration’s decision to put in limbo one of the last major nuclear arms control treaties with Russia has rung alarm bells, with the possibility that the move could set off a new arms race. The US said on Friday it was withdrawing from the landmark Cold War INF missile treaty with Russia, saying Moscow was in violation. Ahead of a deadline set by Washington, the US said that Russia had not addressed concerns over a new medium-range missile system that Western states believe goes against the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Effective Saturday, “the US will suspend its obligations under the INF Treaty and begin the process of withdrawing from the INF Treaty, which will be completed in six months unless Russia comes back into compliance by destroying all of its violating missiles, launchers and associated equipment,” President Donald Trump said in a statement. The US has fully adhered to the INF Treaty for more than 30 years, but we will not remain constrained by its terms while Russia misrepresents its actions, Trump said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, announcing the decision at a news conference, said that Washington still wanted to engage in arms control negotiations with Russia and hoped Moscow would come into compliance.

The US is hopeful that it can put our relationship with Russia back on better footing, but the onus is on Russia to change course from a pattern of destabilising activity, not just on this issue but on many others as well, Pompeo said. The Russian government, in retaliation, accused the Trump administration of looking for any excuse to end the Cold War-era agreement. A spokesman for President Putin said the US failed to negotiate in good faith. The reluctance of the Americans to listen to reason shows that Washington decided to crush the treaty a long time ago, he charged.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2019.

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