Russia Offers Not to Deploy Missiles in Europe

Date: 26 October 2020 - 21:41

News ID: ۸۴۱۸۰

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- The Kremlin on Monday proposed that Russia and the United States agree not to deploy certain land-based missiles in Europe and introduce mutual verification measures to build trust following the demise of the INF nuclear arms control treaty.
The United States withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty last year, accusing Moscow of violating it, a charge denied by the Kremlin.
Global nuclear arms control architecture has come under further strain since then as the former Cold War foes have been unable to agree on a replacement to New START, another major arms control pact that is due to expire in February 2021.
On Monday, the Kremlin suggested "de-escalation” measures, such as allowing Russia to conduct checks on the U.S. Aegis Ashore system in Europe, and the United States to check Russia’s 9M729 missiles in facilities in the exclave of Kaliningrad.
"We propose all interested sides to consider concrete options for mutual verification measures to remove existing concerns,” the Kremlin said in a statement on its website.
The INF pact had prohibited land-based missiles with a range of 310-3,400 miles, reducing the ability of both countries to launch a nuclear strike at short notice.
President Vladimir Putin said Monday the United States’ "grave mistake” in abandoning the landmark nuclear treaty with Moscow threatens the world with the risk of another nuclear arms race.
"We consider the U.S. withdrawal from the INF Treaty, as a result of which it has ceased to operate, a serious mistake that increases the risks of unleashing a missile arms race,” Putin said.
The president said the INF was a key element "in maintaining predictability and restraint in the missile-related sector throughout Europe,” due to tensions between NATO and Russia.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed toward the end of the Cold War in 1987 by then U.S. president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
It banned all land-based missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers and included missiles carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads.
The INF, seen as a milestone in ending the Cold War arms race between the two superpowers, led to the elimination of 2,692 missiles from both sides, ridding Europe of land-based nuclear missiles.