​US withdraws from INF agreement with Russia

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 21 Oct 2018 by Alex Teddy

---

President Trump announced on October 20 the US will withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-range (500-5500 km) Nuclear Forces treaty, also known as INF. The US blames Russia for violating the treaty by developing a ground-launched cruise missile called Novator 9M729. The National Security Council said in November 2017 that Washington believed its range was between 500 and 5500 kms and thus breaching the INF provisions, though depending on the launcher used, it could be in fact within the INF range. Russia has denied such allegations several times; meanwhile US ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison pledged in early October to "take out" the missile capability - interpreted in Russia as a direct threat. The UK has been the first European country to support Trump’s decision. Yet others may not follow because of the serious consequences for European Security. US National Security adviser John Bolton, an active supporter of US, flew to Moscow as Trump confirmed his intentions. The US sees the treaty as not serving the new balance of power, and thus it does not promote its role as a contributor to security. The Department of Defense published a document under the title "Nuclear posture review" in February where it pointed explicitly at China's largely uncontested activities in the South and East China Seas as a concern and called for new low-yield atomic weapons. The INF treaty establishes a period of 6 months until the withdrawal becomes effective, meaning Moscow and Beijing will have offer a better deal to Washington in order to safeguard the content of the treaty, even if it is in a new document.