Russia pledges 'balance' if US quits nuclear pact

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Russia said on Monday it would be forced to respond in kind to restore the military balance with the United States if President Donald Trump carried through on a threat to quit a nuclear arms treaty and began developing new missiles.

But Moscow signaled it may be willing to give some ground, with a senior official telling Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, that Russia was ready to address US concerns about how the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was being implemented.

In Washington, the US president reiterated his concern about the treaty and said the United States would build up its nuclear arsenal.

“Russia has not adhered to the agreement.... Until people come to their senses – we have more money than anybody else, by far. We'll build it up,” he told reporters at the White House. “Until they come to their senses. When they do, then we'll all be smart and we'll all stop.”

Asked if that were a threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said: “It's a threat to whoever you want. And it includes China, and it includes Russia, and it includes anybody else that wants to play that game. You can't do that. You can't play that game on me.”

Trump said China, too, should be included in the accord.

US President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Houston, Texas, US, October 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

The US president drew a warning of “military-technical” retaliation from Moscow after saying on Saturday that Washington would withdraw from the Cold War-era pact that rid Europe of land-based nuclear missiles.

Signed by then-President Ronald Reagan and reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the treaty required the elimination of all short- and intermediate-range land-based nuclear and conventional missiles held by both countries in Europe.

Its demise could raise the prospect of a new arms race, and Gorbachev, now 87, has warned that unraveling it could have catastrophic consequences.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Trump's withdrawal plan a matter of deep concern for Moscow. “Such measures can make the world more dangerous,” he told reporters on a conference call.

Despite repeated Russian denials, US authorities believe Moscow is developing and has deployed a ground-launched system in breach of the treaty that could allow it to launch a nuclear strike on Europe at short notice.

Trump said the United States would develop equivalent weapons unless Russia and China agreed to a halt in development. China is not a party to the treaty.

Peskov said Putin had repeatedly warned that the demise of the treaty would compel Moscow to take specific military steps. “Scrapping the provisions of the INF treaty forces Russia to take measures for its own security because what does scrapping the INF treaty mean?” said Peskov.

“It means that the United States is not disguising, but is openly starting to develop these systems in the future, and if these systems are being developed, then actions are necessary from other countries, in this case Russia, to restore balance in this sphere.”

Source(s): Reuters