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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Vladimir Putin threatened to abandon INF treaty
2007-10-13
Vladimir Putin threatened to abandon a key nuclear arms treaty yesterday as he raised the stakes in the confrontation between Russia and the United States over a missile defence shield in Eastern Europe. The Russian President threw down the gauntlet at a meeting with Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, and Robert Gates, the Defence Secretary. They came prepared for criticism of the US proposal but instead Mr Putin gave a blunt warning that he would scrap the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.

The 1987 treaty between the US and Soviet Union helped to end the Cold War by eliminating medium-range nuclear and conventional missiles. It removed Soviet SS20 and US cruise missiles from Europe that were the focus of mass protests in the 1980s.

Dr Rice and Mr Gates appeared taken aback by Mr Putin's comments, made after he had kept them waiting for 40 minutes at his presidential dacha outside Moscow. "We will try to find ways to co-operate," Dr Rice said, frowning at Mr Putin as he spoke.

Mr Putin said that Russia would leave the INF treaty unless it was turned into a global agreement to constrain other states, including those "located in our near vicinity". He did not identify any country but Iran and North Korea are within the range covered by the treaty.
But he's not worried about them: why would he be, when he's been a supplier to both? He's also not worried about China, or Iran, or the Paks, or the Indians. This is all about our anti-missile proposal in Poland and the Czech Republic, and that in turn is all about restraining NATO's advance into eastern Europe.
Dmitri Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, later acknowledged that China, India and Pakistan had medium-range missile capabilities. He insisted that Mr Putin was concerned about an imbalance of regional security rather than any specific threat.

Russia saw no risk from Iran "currently or in the immediate future".
Certainly not while Vlad holds a few chits with them.
But it was prevented by the treaty from having medium-range missiles, while neighbouring states were free to develop them.
Oh, so Vlad's now willing to help restrain Iran? No? Thought not.
The President mocked the US plan to install a radar station in the Czech Republic and ten interceptor missiles in Poland for the defence shield. He said: "We may decide some day to put missile defence systems on the Moon but before we get to that we may lose a chance for agreement because of you implementing your own plans."

The American officials failed to achieve a breakthrough later in talks with their Russian counterparts, Sergei Lavrov and Anatoly Serdyukov. Dr Rice rejected a Russian demand to freeze the missile project, saying that the US would continue negotiations with its partners.

Mr Serdyukov said that the shield had "strong anti-Russian potential", and Mr Lavrov said that Russia would "take measures to neutralise that threat". Mr Gates insisted that it posed no danger to Russia.
Posted by:3dc

#4  Hmmm.... I think the new spangled maneuverable warheads didn't pan out so well, did they pootie? And the further development of them would bankrupt your country because you are still 50 fucking years behind the west?

Hmmm...
Posted by: DarthVader   2007-10-13 19:15  

#3  Or, just for giggles, we could make some new pershing 2's, and station them in poland. Or, if we wanted to be truly hilarious, we could station something ballistic in the baltic repubs, with a flight time of =< 5 mins to moscow.

President putin, are you sure you want to abandon the INF treaty. you have lots more to loose than we do.
Posted by: N guard   2007-10-13 18:36  

#2  This would be a great opportunity for France and the UK to put their nuclear forces under the EU to let the others pay for it and give the Poles a chance to have their finger on the button. That would give Pooty pause.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2007-10-13 16:36  

#1  The way things are going in Russia, the way Putin is making a mountain out of a molehill, and the way Russia is positioning themselves all suggest to me that they are manufacturing an excuse/situation to dump the treaty. The INF treaty is doomed one way or another.

Is there any logical reason Russia needs to worry about intermediate range nukes?
Posted by: gorb   2007-10-13 16:17  

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