Photo credit: kremlin.ru
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a statement in which he proposed additional steps to defuse tensions in Europe, the Kremlin website reports.
According to the Russian president, the Intermediate‑Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was one of the key elements for ensuring international security and strategic stability. It was particularly important for missile restraint in the European space.
By withdrawing from the Treaty, the United States made a huge mistake, the head of state is convinced. As a result, the risk of an arms race, confrontation and escalation of conflicts increases.
Putin noted that these factors and the continuing tension between Russia and NATO imposed new threats to security on the continent. In the current situation, efforts aimed at reducing the deficit of trust and strengthening stability in the world as a whole and in individual regions are increasingly important.
Vladimir Putin confirmed that Russia remained committed to the previously announced moratorium on the deployment of ground-based INF forces. He added that the moratorium would remain in effect until overseas missile weapons of the same classes appeared in the respective regions.
The head of state reaffirmed his readiness for further steps to minimize the negative consequences of the collapse of the INF Treaty. He invited interested parties to consider concrete options for mutual verification measures to address existing concerns. Such measures are necessary to confirm the absence of ground-based INF, as well as weapons, on the characteristics and classification of which the parties could not agree on, at the facilities covered by the agreements, and the Russian 9M729 missile in particular.
Moscow notes that the 9M729 missile fully complies with the requirements of the former INF Treaty. Nevertheless, Russia is ready, as a gesture of goodwill, to abandon the further deployment of these missiles in the European part of the country. But only on condition of reciprocal steps on the part of NATO countries, excluding the deployment in Europe of weapons previously prohibited under the INF Treaty.
Russia calls on all interested countries to search for schemes for maintaining stability and preventing missile crises "in a world without an INF Treaty" in relation to the Asia-Pacific region. Putin stressed that Moscow was open to joint work in this direction.
Russkiy Mir
