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In this April archive photo, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis listens to a question at a hearing on Capitol Hil. (Jacquelyn Martin / AP)
Paul Sonne
A national security reporter focusing on the US military
PRAGUE – US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said his talks with European allies had so far not led to suggestions on how to deal with Russia's violation of NATO's arms control pact. era of the cold war other than the withdrawal of the United States.
Mattis said that he had asked for ideas from European allies at a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Belgium earlier this month, about two weeks before President Trump announces that the United States is planning to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range or INF Nuclear Forces Treaty.
During his consultations with his allies, Mattis reiterated that he did not defend the status quo (the violation of the treaty by Russia and the US's respect for the treaty) was unsustainable and would not last. He asked the other 28 countries of the alliance to make suggestions on what the United States could do other than withdraw from the treaty.
"I said," We need to know if you have any ideas, "said Mattis in a commentary on a trip to Bahrain in the Czech Republic. "Until now, we could not find one."
Mattis consulted with European allies for suggestions more than two weeks before President Trump announced on October 20 his intention to withdraw the United States from the bilateral pact signed in 1987 by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, marking a breakthrough in diplomacy of the control of the armaments of the cold war. .
Trump said that because Russia was violating the agreement and China was not party to it, he saw no reason for the United States to continue to respect the agreement itself.
Shortly after Trump announced his intention to withdraw, White House National Security Advisor John Bolton informed Russian President Vladimir Putin of his government's intention to withdraw from the pact at from a trip to Moscow.
Russia refused to acknowledge its violation of the pact with the deployment of a banned missile. Instead, Moscow accused Washington of violating the treaty with its missile defense facilities in Europe, an allegation refuted by the state department.
The Cold War era agreement prohibits Moscow and Washington from testing, producing, or deploying ground-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers, and applies to nuclear and conventional variants. The agreement led the two superpowers to withdraw thousands of nuclear missiles that they faced in Europe.
Mattis has refused to rule out the possibility of the United States deploying intermediate-range missiles again on European soil, but said he would not say that this will not happen either, citing his policy of not not telegraph such movements in advance.
"We have many ways to respond," said Mattis. "It does not have to be symmetrical, and it will be in the closest consultation with the allies."
A symmetrical reaction means that the US military would deploy the same weapons as Russia, namely mid-range ground launch cruise missiles. An asymmetric response would allow the United States to deploy different types of weapons to accommodate Russia's movements or take other measures.
The State Department did not officially announce that Russia was substantially violating the treaty. Washington has also not issued to Moscow a document certifying its withdrawal from the bilateral pact.
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in November at the commemoration of the centenary of the First World War in Paris. They will probably discuss this issue, as well as other arms control issues between Washington and Moscow. Trump said he would step down unless Russia and China agree to a modified treaty under which the three nations would refrain from deploying medium-range missiles.
Mattis said he would continue to consult European allies. He expects a more definitive decision on this issue by the next meeting of NATO ministers in early December.
"At this point, I'm sure we'll have some kind of climax," Mattis said.
The defense secretary said that this could be a decision to announce that Russia is violating the treaty substantially. Or it might indicate that the Russians have "awakened to the danger" that they have put the treaty in place and changed course, he said.
Mattis added, "We will have to see."
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