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January 17, 2019

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Russia-US arms treaty on brink of collapse

Russia said yesterday it was ready to work with Washington to save a crucial arms control treaty and called on Europe to help in faltering talks.

Tensions have raged for months over the fate of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed in 1987 by then US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

US President Donald Trump has promised to walk away from the agreement and President Vladimir Putin threatened a new arms race, saying Europe would be its main victim.

Speaking after fresh talks between US and Russian officials in Geneva to salvage the INF led nowhere, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was ready to continue talks.

“We are still ready to work to save the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty,” Russia’s top diplomat told reporters.

He called on European nations to help influence Washington, saying they had a major stake in the issue and should not be “at the tail-end of the US position.”

Last month Washington said it would withdraw from the INF treaty within 60 days if Russia did not dismantle missiles that the US claims breach the deal.

Moscow’s top negotiator in Geneva, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, said the Geneva talks centered on Russia’s 9M729 system but that US demands regarding the missile were unacceptable.

Lavrov said yesterday the Russian side in Geneva came up with “constructive proposals” aiming to give the US an idea of what the 9M729 system was.

“However, US representatives arrived with a prepared position that was based on an ultimatum and centered on a demand for us to destroy this rocket, its launchers, and all related equipment under US supervision,” Lavrov said.

The US negotiators never explained why Washington did not want to consider Russia’s proposals, he added.

Talks have essentially ground to a halt, Lavrov said, describing Washington’s logic as: “You are violating the treaty and we are not.”

Russian negotiators on Tuesday proposed holding another round of talks on the agreement but received no reply from the US side, Ryabkov has said.

Russia denies it is in violation of the treaty, which forbids ground-launched short- and intermediate-range missiles.

US and Russian diplomats blame each other for pushing the agreement to the brink of collapse. Russia said Washington confirmed it would exit the treaty from February 2.

US Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Andrea Thompson has said the Geneva meeting was “disappointing” and Russia continued “to be in material breach of the treaty.”




 

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