Russia And The INF Treaty

The Russian government’s violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty has recently risen in prominence in Washington and elsewhere. What was originally foremost an arms control issue for the United States has escalated into a major defence problem for all of NATO. Moscow’s departure from long-standing laws, borders, and agreements demand a major re-evaluation of Russia’s strategy and how NATO can best respond. Until the issue is resolved, the US Congress is unlikely to ratify another major bilateral arms control treaty with Russia and NATO’s willingness to cooperate with Moscow will be appropriately constrained. The reason why Russia is cheating on some security treaties is to remove impediments to Moscow’s military revival. Russia’s approach aims to induce the United States and NATO into assuming the onus of formally withdrawing from these accords—a trap best avoided through countering measures that deny Moscow any net benefits from its actions yet still maintain the solidarity of the alliance that is essential for NATO’s strength at a time of Russian resurgence.

Website: International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS / RKK) http://www.icds.ee/

ESO: Background information: Russia’s Violation of the INF Treaty: Consequences for NATO http://www.europeansources.info/record/russias-violation-of-the-inf-treaty-consequences-for-nato/

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