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Reuters
U.S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson has accused Russia of violating agreements on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
“We call on Russia to examine how it can better support non-proliferation efforts,” said Tillerson at a meeting of the UN security Council dedicated to this issue.
The head of state noted that Moscow and Washington have a special responsibility to support the nonproliferation regime. At the same time, he said that in recent years Russia “sometimes acted in a manner that weakens the global rules and undermines the principle of responsibility of Nations.”
In particular, Tillerson has accused Moscow of violating the obligations under the Treaty on elimination of intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF), in violation of “security assurances which were given at the end of the cold war” and attempts to “undermine the independence of the IAEA in the investigation of covert nuclear programs.”
The Secretary said that if Russia “wants to restore its role as a credible actor in the resolution of the crisis around North Korea,” she must demonstrate a commitment to compliance with the obligations on nuclear security and arms control.
“New word”
Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia noted that he was surprised by the statement Tillerson.
“Today, we learned with astonishment from the Secretary of state that Russia is still and weakens the capability of the IAEA. This, of course, for us a new word,” — said the diplomat.
“Threat” for the United States
In late August, the United States Ambassador to Russia John Tefft has again accused Moscow of violating the Treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range nuclear forces (INF). According to him, from Moscow “there are serious violations in the creation of new missiles” that is a “threat not only for us but for our allies.”, what is a “serious problem” in relations between the two countries.
The Russian foreign Ministry has repeatedly stressed that Washington wrongly accuses Moscow of violating the INF Treaty as a pretext for a possible response. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Russian leadership has repeatedly confirmed its adherence to the obligations under the INF and “any wrongdoing on our part.” He also stressed that Moscow “has very serious questions to US about some “liberties” with the implementation of the Treaty by the Americans themselves.
Withdrawal from the INF Treaty
Earlier media reported that the U.S. Congress continues to discuss the bill on withdrawal from the INF Treaty. offers to begin development of a forbidden document of the medium-range missiles.
In June, Senator Tom cotton has introduced a bill that proposes to officially announce “violations” by Russia of the Treaty and consider the transfer to allies of missile technology, and the Democrats in the Committee on armed services of the house of representatives suggested the administration to consider sanctions.
The Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is committed to the agreement and intends to execute it, but without the abuses by American partners.