NATO is demanding that Russia unconditionally destroy all of its 9k729 cruise missiles by
August, or face unspecific repercussions. Officials conceded that there
was no expectation Russia would actually destroy those missiles.
The 9k729 missiles are the source of US accusations that Russia was
violating the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Russia denied
they were in violation, and insisted they were shorter range than the
treaty covered.
At any rate, this no longer should matter, since the US already
announced they are withdrawing from the INF, so there is no reason to
expect Russia would consider itself bound by a treaty with no other
signatories.
US Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison told reporters that “all options are
on the table” in retaliation, but for the time being, the US is only
considering “conventional systems,” and not an immediate nuclear
response.
The underlying threat is that the US, or NATO in general, are going to
put nuclear arms on the Russian border, which the INF wouldn’t have
allowed, but which they are no longer abiding by. Russia has warned this
would create a crisis on the level of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
NATO Demands Russia Destroy Its Cruise Missiles Before August
US says 'all options on the table' for a response
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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