Russia blasts US withdrawal from nuclear arms deal as ‘dangerous step’

[Butifldrm]

Russia blasts US withdrawal from nuclear arms deal as ‘dangerous step’

Accusing Moscow of violating the agreement, Trump announced plans to leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

By AFPToday, 1:24 pm  0

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Russian President Vladimir Putin looks over toward US President Donald Trump, as Trump speaks during their joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

MOSCOW, Russia — Withdrawing from a Cold War-era nuclear weapons treaty with Russia, as US President Donald Trump has announced he plans to do, is a dangerous step, Russia’s deputy foreign minister warned on Sunday.

“This would be a very dangerous step that, I’m sure, not only will not be comprehended by the international community but will provoke serious condemnation,” deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS state news agency.

The treaty is “significant for international security and security in the sphere of nuclear arms, for the maintenance of strategic stability,” he stressed.

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Russia condemned what he called attempts by the US to gain concessions “through a method of blackmail,” he added.

If the US continues to act “clumsily and crudely” and unilaterally back out of international agreements “then we will have no choice but to undertake retaliatory measures including involving military technology,” Ryabkov told RIA Novosti news agency.

“But we would not want to get to this stage,” he added.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov at the State Department in Washington, July 17, 2017 (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

On Saturday, Trump announced US plans to leave the three-decade-old Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF, signed in 1987 by then-US president Ronald Reagan.

“We’re the ones who have stayed in the agreement and we’ve honored the agreement, but Russia has not unfortunately honored the agreement, so we’re going to terminate the agreement and we’re going to pull out,” said Trump.

But Ryabkov on Sunday denied Trump’s accusations, throwing the accusation back at Washington.

“We don’t just not violate (the treaty), we observe it in the strictest way,” he insisted.

“And we have shown patience while pointing out over the course of many years the flagrant violations of this treaty by the US itself.”

US National Security Adviser John Bolton is set to arrive in Moscow on Sunday.

“We hope that we will hear from him during meetings, tomorrow and the day after, more substantively and clearly what the American side intends to undertake,” said Ryabkov.

Earlier a foreign ministry source told Russian news agencies that the US move was connected to its “dream of a unipolar world,” an argument that Ryabkov also advanced.

“Apparently the existence of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty creates problems for establishing a line of total US domination and supremacy in the military sphere,” he said.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-blasts-us-withdrawal-from-nuclear-arms-deal-as-dangerous-step/

[bostonangler]

Don't you know Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave.... 

 

B/A

[nstoolman1]

If and it is a big If Russia is violating the treaty and we are not 

then there is no treaty. 

 

[bostonangler]

4 minutes ago, nstoolman1 said:

If and it is a big If Russia is violating the treaty and we are not 

then there is no treaty. 

 

 

Your guy has no clue of diplomacy... Or maybe you think he is better than Reagan, because we all know he's a genius. Just ask him. Remember he knows more than his generals even though he has never been involved with anything remotely close to military training or how to decipher security reports.  If he did he would know North Korea has done nothing to disarm according to his own people, but then again he is smarter than.... Well you can fill in the blank because he is smarter than the rest of humanity.

 

B/A

[Butifldrm]

What You Need to Know About Nuclear Arms Treaty With Russia Trump Wants to Quit

 

 

© AFP 2018 / Jerome Delay

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11:47 21.10.2018(updated 11:52 21.10.2018)Get short URL

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On Saturday, Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the nuclear arms control agreement with Russia, commonly referred to as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). Sputnik offers insight into what the treaty is about and what Russia's and America's takes are on it.

What's the Big Deal?

The INF deal was big, in fact, but we can realize its importance only if we take a look at the international situation in the mid-1970s. By that time, the two superpowers had roughly achieved strategic parity after three decades of the overwhelming dominance of the US in nuclear force.

While the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was going through a period of détente, Washington began to modify its forward-based system in Europe with submarine-launched and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. This was seen as a cause for concern in Moscow, which responded by upgrading the aging missiles on its Western flank with state-of-the-art weapons, classified by NATO as SS-20 "Pioneer." These strategic nukes allowed the Soviet Union to place all major facilities in Western Europe in its crosshairs, thus obtaining a perceived military advantage in Europe.

After Moscow's move had made waves in the West, particularly in Germany, NATO adopted a "double-track" decision to deploy Pershing II and Tomahawk missiles in its Western European member countries while at the same time talk the USSR into limiting its European nuclear weapons.

© AP PHOTO / CHARLIE NEIBERGALL, FILE

US Exit From INF Treaty to Undo Decades of Arms Control Efforts, Sen. Rand Paul Says

Years of negotiations have come to a political deadlock until Mikhail Gorbachev, a vocal proponent of global nuclear disarmament, concluded the INF Treaty with Ronald Reagan in 1987. According to the deal, the United States and the USSR pledged to terminate their nuclear and conventional missiles and their launchers with ranges of 500-1,000 km and 1,000-5,500 km. The ban between Moscow and Washington resulted in 2,692 missiles being destroyed by the treaty's deadline of June 1, 1991.

In addition, then-Secretary of State James Baker promised that NATO would not expand "one inch eastwards" towards the Soviet Union's borders.

At the time, the signing of the pact was widely seen in the Soviet Union as an act of good will (if not a concession) from Gorbachev as he additionally vowed to eliminate the Oka ballistic missiles (NATO designation SS-23 Spider), whose range was just below 500km and which therefore were not compatible with the original pact.

More importantly, however, the INF Treaty became an unprecedented step in trimming nuclear arsenals and defusing Cold War tensions, as well as the first agreement to stipulate an actual reduction in nuclear arms rather than simply curbing their proliferation.

Washington's Excuse

But this week, Donald Trump's latest itch for killing off international agreements led to him announcing the US withdrawal from the landmark treaty. The POTUS gave several explanations at a time and first off, he accused Russia of breaching the pact "for many years." His allegations come on the heels of previous claims from US hawks that Russia's new 9M729 ground-based cruise missile system violates the INF Treaty because it gives Russia the possibility of launching a nuclear strike in Europe with little or no notice.

 

US Mk-41 Systems Deployment in Romania, Poland Contradicts INF Treaty – Moscow

What Donald Trump also hinted at is that the deal doesn't affect China in any way, tying the hands of his officials in response to Beijing's military buildup in the Western Pacific. As China has yet to place its signature on the agreement, it isn't obliged to limit neither the development nor proliferation of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

"Unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and they say, ‘Let's all of us get smart and let's none of us develop those weapons,' but if Russia's doing it and if China's doing it and we're adhering to the agreement, that's unacceptable," Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Nevada, boasting that he had a lot of cash "to play with our military."

Moscow Hits Back

Russia commented on Trump's intention to scrap the pact by citing Washington's dreams of a unipolar world. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused Trump of "blackmailing" and said that there is no substance to the US's claims that Russia is violating the INF treaty.

Russian lawmaker Alexey Pushkov views the US's looming pullout of the deal as yet another blow to the global system of security, coming on the heels of its 2001 exit from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

 

'Most Plausible Conclusion': NATO Sec Gen Alleges Russia Breached INF Treaty

Moscow notes that the Russian missiles that allegedly violate the pact correspond to its obligations under the treaty and have not been upgraded and tested for the prohibited ranges. Russia went on to voice its own doubts over Washington's compliance with the treaty, particularly over the ground-based deployment of Aegis Ashore systems in Romania and Poland, which can be used to launch medium-range Tomahawk missiles.

Moreover, Russia stresses, US unmanned aerial vehicles or armed drones also fall under the INF Treaty definition of ground-launched cruise missiles as their flight ranges (1,100 km) and lack of pilot mean that drones of this type are similar to shorter-range cruise missiles.

In June, the defense ministry said in a statement that the United States was seeking a pretext to leave the treaty in a bid to gain the upper-hand in European security. This could be achieved by deploying missiles in Central and Eastern Europe with shorter flight time to Russian targets — something that would be a great advantage in the event of a potential nuclear conflict with Moscow.

https://sputniknews.com/world/201810211069074837-inf-treaty-history/

[Butifldrm]

"Complete Chaos": Russia Slams "Dangerous" U.S. Pullout Of INF Treaty As "Blackmail"

by Tyler Durden

Sun, 10/21/2018 - 08:31

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Washington’s planned withdrawal from the international Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, announced by President Trump on Saturday, has been slammed by Russia as "a very dangerous step" which is ultimately part of "continuing attempts to achieve Russia’s concessions through blackmail" in statements made by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Sunday.

And Russian lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev, who chairs the Russian Parliament’s Upper House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned the move could create a domino effect endangering other landmark deals like the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). The lawmaker said such an outcome pits mankind against “complete chaos in terms of nuclear weapons.”

Russian Deputy FM Sergei Ryabkov further said that the decision would receive the condemnation of the international community as it could trigger a new arms race and make the world deeply unstable. However, Ryabkov accused the United States seeking "total domination" and said it's attempting to remove impediments to that goal. 

"At first glance, I can say that apparently the INF Treaty creates problems for pursuing the line towards the US total domination in military sphere," Ryabkov said, according to TASS. 

He explained further of the treaty signed between the Soviet Union and the United States in 1987 in Washington, DC: "This would be a very dangerous step, which, I’m sure, won’t be just understood by the international community, but arouse serious condemnation of all members of the world community, who are committed to security and stability and are ready to work on strengthening the current regimes in arms control."

On Sunday US National Security Advisor John Bolton arrived in Moscow, and Russian officials are expected to seek clarity on US intentions regarding specific steps the White House is planning to take. "Today the US president’s national security advisor is arriving in Moscow. We hope during the contacts with him tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to hear more details and clarifications on what steps the US side is planning to take," Deputy FM Ryabkov said.

Russia suggested the drastic move, which comes after Moscow has deployed its newest nuclear-capable Novator 9M729 missile system — said to exceed the missile range stipulated by the treaty — is being used the by Trump administration for blackmail: 

"We condemn the continuing attempts to achieve Russia’s concessions through blackmail, moreover in such an issue which has importance for international security and security in the nuclear weapons sphere, for maintaining strategic stability," the deputy FM stated. 

"Therefore, these are the attempts to portray this situation as if Russia violates the treaty. But it’s not just that we do not violate it, but we strictly observe it. And we are tolerant when pointing to US blatant violations of the agreement for many years," Ryabkov said.

Meanwhile, in a statement sure to add fuel to the ongoing diplomatic fire, NATO announced it is holding Russia responsible for the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty, saying it is "highly likely" that Moscow violates this agreement. 

NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu said on Sunday:

NATO Allies have repeatedly raised their concerns about Russia's lack of respect for its international commitments, including for the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which was concluded in 1987 between the United States and the Soviet Union. At the NATO Summit in July [in Brussels], Allies stressed that the United States is in compliance with its obligations under the INF Treaty, while a pattern of behavior over many years has led to widespread doubts about Russian compliance.

The spokesperson continued, referencing Russia's recently unveiled Novator 9M729 system:

After years of denials and obfuscation, Russia recently acknowledged the existence of the missile system without providing the necessary transparency and explanation. In the absence of any credible answer from Russia on this new missile, Allies believe that the most plausible assessment would be that Russia is in violation of the INF Treaty.

President Trump had said Saturday after a campaign rally in Elko, Nevada: "We’re not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement,”and indicated, “We’re going to terminate the agreement."

In a report that undoubtedly further complicated John Bolton's weekend trip to Moscow, the Guardian revealed on Friday that the national security advisor - in what some described as an overreach of the position's typical role - had been pushing Trump to abandon the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

The announcement comes after the U.S. had been warning Russia it could resort to strong countermeasures unless Moscow complies with international commitments to arms reduction under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a pact struck in the 1980s.

When first signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev following their historic 1986 meeting, the INF was touted as an important deescalation of tensions between the two superpowers. But it has since become a flashpoint in the increasingly strained relationship between the US and Russia, as both sides have accused the other of violating its terms

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-21/russia-slams-us-pullout-inf-treaty-seeking-concessions-through-blackmail

[bostonangler]

 

[Butifldrm]

Bolton: Trump, Putin to meet in Paris in November

BY MORGAN CHALFANT - 10/23/18 01:02 PM EDT 305

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© Getty Images

White House national security adviser John Bolton said Tuesday that President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin plan to meet in Paris, days after November's midterm elections.

Bolton, following a one-on-one meeting with Putin in Moscow, confirmed that the Russian president suggested the leaders meet to continue discussions between the two, adding that they agreed to the date of Nov. 11 in Paris, which coincides with the Armistice Day commemoration.

“I said yes, in fact, that President Trump would look forward to meeting with him in Paris,” Bolton, who has been in Moscow for two days of high-level talks, told reporters at a press conference Tuesday.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Paris to commemorate Armistice Day on Nov. 11, which marks the end of World War I. The trip will come just days after the U.S.'s midterm elections. 

The meeting would be the first face-to-face between the two leaders since the duo's Helsinki summit in July. Trump was roundly criticized for his friendliness toward Putin at the summit and for his remarks casting doubt on the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment of Russia's election interference in 2016, which he later walked back.

Bolton arrived in Moscow earlier this week for a series of high-level talks with Russian officials on a range of issues, including Syria, Iran and Russia's election interference.

The trip comes at a point of high tensions between the U.S. and Russia, despite Trump’s wish to improve relations with Moscow to work on areas of mutual concern. 

Trump announced over the weekend that the United States plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, a landmark nuclear arms pact with Russia signed in 1987 that Moscow has been accused of violating.

“Russia has violated the agreement. They've been violating it for many years,” Trump told reporters Saturday before departing from a political rally in Nevada. 

“And I don't know why President Obama didn't negotiate or pull out. And we're not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we're not allowed to,” he said. 

The move drew ire from Moscow and demands for an explanation.

Bolton defended Trump's decision in his meetings with the Russians, telling reporters Tuesday that Russian violations of the treaty had run "long and deep" and were a "major factor" in the decision to withdraw.

“It is the American position that Russia is in violation. It’s the Russian position that they are not in violation," Bolton said. "It’s not like this is a new subject."

Bolton’s trip was intended to carry on the discussions between Putin and Trump in July. Over two days, Bolton met with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev, as well as Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu. He met with Putin on Tuesday.

Bolton told reporters that he raised the issue of Russia's election meddling in the meeting with Putin.

“We discussed our continuing concern with Russian meddling in elections and why it was particularly harmful of Russian-American relations without producing anything for them in return,” Bolton said.

He also doubled down on his belief that Russian interference had no impact on outcome of the 2016 election, an assertion he made during an interview with a Russian radio station Monday.

After his Moscow visit, Bolton will travel to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia — the neighboring countries that make up the Caucasus region — for additional meetings with officials.

Updated at 2 p.m.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/412753-bolton-discusses-possible-trump-putin-meeting-in-november-report