The United States has notified Russia that the decision to withdraw from the INF Treaty settled
The United States has notified Russia through diplomatic channels that their decision to withdraw from the Treaty on intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) is final and is not an invitation to dialogue, said Deputy foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said at a briefing on the missile 9М729 for military attaches and the media.
“Recently the American side has taken yet another disruptive step at the highest level, it was announced Washington’s intention to withdraw from the Treaty. Almost immediately this intention was confirmed to us through bilateral channels, it was given clear explanation that the declared step is an invitation to dialogue, a decision is made on the totality of the circumstances is final,” said Mr. Ryabkov.
Moscow had not violated the INF Treaty therefore considers that the arguments of the US withdrawal from the Treaty is untenable, so the document remains in effect, said Sergei Ryabkov.
Due to the absence in fact of any violation of the INF Treaty from our side marked Washington’s justification for the suspension of the agreement untenable, the decision is negligible from a legal point of view.Sergey Raskovalova the Ministry of foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
According to him, “for the period of the so-called suspension agreement will continue to have effect, remaining binding on the parties”.
We will remind, on January 15 in Geneva were closed Russian-American consultations on the fate of the INF Treaty. Their results remained dissatisfied with both parties. The United States continued to insist on the need for the destruction of Russia’s cruise missiles SSC-8 (also known as 9М729). Moscow has called on Washington to abandon the “language of ultimatums” and to talk about concrete measures that the salvation of the document.
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What you need to know about the Treaty of elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range
History, essence and the importance of the Treaty — in the material “Kommersant”.
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