The United States Sets a 60-Day Deadline for Russia to Comply with the Missile Treaty

The United States has given Russia 60 days to comply with the terms and obligations outlined in the Cold War-era missile treaty, or else the U.S. will fully withdraw from it. Previously, Donald Trump had announced that he would withdraw the country from this treaty. On December 4, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Russia of 'cheating on arms control commitments' and stated that if Moscow does not meet its obligations, Washington will officially submit a withdrawal notice after two months. This notice establishes a six-month period for the complete withdrawal of both parties from the treaty. Pompeo's remarks were made during a meeting with NATO foreign ministers. The U.S. Secretary of State emphasized that the preservation of this treaty 'depends on Russia.' During his press conference, he stated that Russia has developed the SSC-8 cruise missiles, also known as 'Novator 9M729,' which have become 'a threat to Europe.' Pompeo remarked that 'our countries face a choice; either we bury our heads in the sand or we take a sensible action in response to Russia's disregard for the obligations outlined in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.' The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was established in 1987 between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the U.S. President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, respectively. This treaty aimed to eliminate nuclear and conventional cruise missiles and their launch platforms, with ranges of 500 to 1,000 and 1,000 to 5,500 kilometers. The treaty pertains to ground-launched missiles. However, the U.S. has criticized Russia's actions under this treaty, just as Russia has criticized the United States. Ultimately, U.S. officials publicly accused Moscow in 2014 of continuing to develop prohibited missiles. On the other hand, Russia has claimed that parts of the U.S. missile defense system violate this treaty or that the U.S. 'has no evidence of the development of prohibited missiles in Russia.' The U.S. is not alone in its accusations against Russia, as figures like the NATO Secretary General have also stated that Russia has violated the treaty. In any case, Donald Trump announced on October 20 that he would withdraw from this treaty: 'We will not allow Russia to violate a nuclear agreement, to go and produce weapons for themselves, while we are not allowed to do so.' The Russian President also stated that if the United States proceeds with the transfer and deployment of intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Moscow will put the host countries of these weapons in its crosshairs. The recent 60-day deadline set by the U.S. comes at a time when Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, expressed on November 20 that she is 'deeply concerned' about the fate of the 1987 treaty and warned that Europe's security could be at risk. U.S. allies in NATO stated on Tuesday that they 'strongly support' the findings and statements from the U.S. regarding Russia's violations and called for Russia to return to compliance with these obligations. However, recent statements, including those from the NATO Secretary General, indicate that the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is likely to officially end in the coming months.