The United States will abide by the Treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles (INF) until the last minute. The acting head of the Pentagon Mark Esper made the statement.
According to him, while the agreement will be in force, the US will comply with the INF. After that, said Esper, his country and allies “together will strive for the future” and will be able to adapt to the changed realities.
On the eve of June 26, NATO Secretary-General said that in the near future no measures against Russia will not be applied, as there is an opportunity to save the Treaty, because the deadline is August 2.
On June 26, the Federation Council approved the law on the suspension of the country’s participation in the INF, initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The suspension of Moscow’s compliance with the Treaty was a mirror response to similar actions by Washington. US President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw from the Treaty in October 2018, accusing the Russian side of violating the document. Russia rejects all accusations and also declares the inadmissibility of unfounded allegations.
The INF Treaty, concluded in 1987 between the USSR and the United States, does not allow the parties to be armed with ground-based ballistic missiles and cruise missiles ranging from 500 to 5.5 thousand kilometers. Moscow and Washington regularly accuse each other of violating its terms.
