In the dispute over the INF Treaty on the renunciation of nuclear weapons of the medium range, there is no room for negotiation from the point of view of NATO.
„The US has made it clear that Russia must take concrete steps to restore complete and verifiable contract loyalty,“ said an alliance spokesman for the German Press Agency. These include the destruction of the new cruise missiles designated 9M729 (NATO code: SSC-8) and associated equipment.
The dispute over the more than 30-year-old disarmament treaty will be the subject of discussions between representatives of the 29 NATO member states and Russia this Friday. They will be held at ambassador level during a NATO Russia Council meeting in Brussels.
The USA had last given Russia an ultimatum of 60 days. According to them, they will no longer feel bound by the contract from 2 February, unless Russia agrees to the destruction of its new cruise missiles by then.
According to information from the USA, they should be able to fly for at least 2600 kilometers and thus be able to hit almost all capitals in Europe.
The fact that Russia gives in to the dispute is considered excluded. The government in Moscow vehemently rejects the claims and allegations of the United States. So she specifies the maximum range of her cruise missile with 480 kilometers, which would be in accordance with the contract. In addition, the US in Moscow is alleged to use the allegations only as an excuse for its own armaments program.
Moscow thus points out that US military officials have been complaining for some time that the Cold War-era INF Treaty only binds Americans and Russians, but not emerging powers such as China.
The INF Treaty on Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces was concluded in 1987 between the US and the then Soviet Union. It commits both sides to the abolition of all land-based ballistic missiles and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5500 kilometers. At the same time, he also prohibits the production and testing of such systems.
For Europe, a termination of the INF Treaty would be controversial because, as a result, there would most likely be a discussion about nuclear armament in Europe. In the opinion of the military, this is the only way to secure a long-term strategic balance and deterrence.
The NATO-Russia Council is considered the most important forum for talks between the Western military alliance and Russia. It was founded in 2002 to engage Russia in the work of the transatlantic military alliance and to build trust between its former opponents. On the ambassador level, the NATO-Russia Council is supposed to meet once a month. However, the dialogue between June 2014 and April 2016 was completely frozen due to the Ukraine conflict.
The meeting on this Friday will only be the ninth since the resumption of talks and take place at the ambassador level. In addition to the dispute over the INF Treaty, the Ukraine conflict should also play a role.
