Trump eyes more nukes
> Russia pledges ‘balance’ if US quits arms treaty
MOSCOW: Russia said on Monday it would be forced to respond in kind to restore the military balance with the US if President Donald Trump carried through on a threat to quit a nuclear arms treaty and began developing new missiles.
But Moscow signalled 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 (INF) was being implemented.
In Washington, Trump reiterated his concern about the treaty and said the US 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.
“Until they come to their senses. When they do, then we’ll all be smart and we’ll all stop,” he said at the White House.
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 drew a warning of “militarytechnical” retaliation from Moscow after saying on Saturday that Washington would withdraw from the Cold War-era pact.
Signed by then president Ronald Reagan and reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the treaty required the elimination of all short- and intermediaterange 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 unravelling it could have catastrophic consequences.
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 US would develop equivalent weapons unless Russia and China agreed to a halt in development. China is not a party to the treaty. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Trump’s withdrawal plan a matter of deep concern for Moscow.
“Scrapping the provisions of the INF treaty forces Russia to take measures for its own security because what does scrapping the INF treaty mean?” he said.
“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.” – Reuters