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The United States and NATO say the new Russian missile violates the nuclear treaty
Russia must end the development of a nuclear-capable missile system, otherwise the United States will be forced to develop new weapons systems to counter the threat, said Tuesday the US ambassador to NATO.
The issue is the new Russian ground-launched 9M729 missile, which according to the United States violates the 1987 prohibition of the Mid-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty on all ground-based cruise and ballistic missiles.
"It is time for Russia to come to the table and put an end to the violations that we know how to commit," US Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison told reporters in Brussels, according to an official transcript, on the eve of A meeting between Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his NATO counterparts.
She added that if the system became "capable of functioning," the United States "would then look into the possibility of firing a missile that could strike any of our countries in Europe and reach the end of the day. America in Alaska. Hutchison then clarified his comments with a follow-up tweet, saying "I was not talking about Russia striking preemptively" and that Moscow "must return to compliance with the INF Treaty or we will have to match its capabilities to the protection of interests US and NATO ".
In Moscow, officials drew on Hutchison's initial remarks, which had been widely interpreted as a threat of a pre-emptive strike in the United States if Russia continued to implement its new missile system.
"It seems that people who make such statements do not understand the degree of responsibility that falls on them and the danger of such aggressive rhetoric," Russian press spokesman Zakharova told reporters. .
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the new missile system was jeopardizing the 31-year nuclear deal between Washington and Moscow, which has long been considered the cornerstone of stability. in Europe.
"We have reviewed this information and we are extremely worried," Stoltenberg told reporters Tuesday at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels. "After years of denials, Russia has recently recognized the existence of a new missile system called 9M729.
"Russia has not provided any credible response to this new missile. Allies agree that the most plausible assessment would be that Russia is breaking the treaty. "
Stoltenberg refused to say where the missile system could be deployed, citing intelligence concerns.
Mattis said on Tuesday that he would discuss the Russian missile system at the NATO meeting this week.
"I'm going to expose the situation," Mattis said at a press conference in Paris, according to the Associated Press. "I want their advice when I return to Washington, D.C."
Russian authorities have been saying for years that US missile defense systems in Europe are violating the treaty. However, US officials have consistently maintained that their systems on the continent were designed for long-range missile threats from conflict areas such as the Middle East.
Hutchison said the US did not want to violate the treaty but Russia could lay hands on it.
"It will someday be in the future when the United States will decide that they need to move to a development stage that the treaty does not authorize for the moment," he said. she said. "It's not imminent, but we set the beacons so that our allies help us bring Russia to the table."
According to the website GlobalSecurity.org, the new Russian missiles have an estimated range of 3400 km. The INF Treaty prohibits all missiles with a range between 310 and 3,400 miles.
In December, the United States first identified 9M729 as an extended range version of the Iskander-K, which is estimated at 230 miles.
While Russia has denied the fact that the system is violating the INF, NATO said the treaty might wreak havoc
"This treaty removes an entire category of weapons and is a crucial part of our security," said Stoltenberg. "Now this treaty is in danger because of the actions of Russia."
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Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg.
COURTESY OF NATO
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