Defense News: With days to go before deadline, nuclear treaty seems doomed
WASHINGTON — A top American official today does not expect Russia will meet the demands of the Trump administration before a Feb. 2 deadline, when America will begin withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.
Asked if she was optimistic Russia would meet the U.S. deadline, Andrea Thompson, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, was blunt: “I’m not.”
The INF Treaty, signed between the U.S. and Russia in 1987, bans all land-based cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. While the Obama administration had accused Moscow of violating the agreement by deploying such systems, most notably with the Novator 9M729 design, Pentagon officials, including former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, have been more vocal under the Trump administration about their concerns.
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Update #1: State Dept: US likely to pull out of Cold War-era arms treaty as deadline looms (The Hill)
Update #2: US Ready to Pull Out of Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia Next Week (Military.com)
WNU Editor: There will be one last attempt next week to save the treaty .... U.S. has offered to hold arms control talks with Russia: official (Reuters).
