In Russia, Bolton discusses ending, extending treaties

President Don- MOSCOW — ald Trump’s national security adviser met in Moscow with top Russian officials Monday, less than 48 hours after Trump declared he intended to pull the United States out of a 1987 nuclear weapons treaty.

National Security Adviser John Bolton and his Russian counterpart, Security Council Chairman Nikolai Patrushev, discussed arms control agreements, Syria, Iran, North Korea and the fight against terrorism, according to the Security Council.

During the talks, Patrushev emphasized the importance of maintaining the Intermedi- ate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the Security Council said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

In his announcement about withdrawing from the agree- ment, Trump alleged that Russia violated its terms. The treaty prohibits the U.S. and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying groundlaunched nuclear cruise missiles with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles.

Patrushev reaffirmed Russia’s “readiness for joint work to consider mutual complaints regarding the treaty’s imple- mentation,” the Security Council said.

“It was underlined that its abrogation would deal a serious blow to the entire inter- national system of nuclear non-proliferation and arms control,” the council’s statement said.

Patrushev and Bolton also discussed a possible fiveyear extension of another pivotal arms control agree- ment between Russia and the U.S.: the New START Treaty that went into force in 2011 and is set to expire in 2021, the statement said.

Bolton also held talks later in the day with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and is set to meet with President Vladimir Putin today.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, warned Monday that the U.S. withdrawal from the treaty would “make the world a more dangerous place.”

He added that Russia would have to take countermeasures to “restore balance” if the U.S. opts out of the agreement.

Peskov reaffirmed Moscow’s strong denial of any treaty violations.

“We categorically disagree with the claim that Russia has violated the INF Treaty,” he said. “Russia has fully adhered to the treaty’s provisions.”

He noted that Russia long has voiced concern about what it sees as U.S. violations of the treaty. Russia has charged that U.S. missile defense facilities in Romania could be modified to house ground-to-ground intermediate-range cruise missiles.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said Monday that the military alliance has repeatedly expressed concern about Russia’s nuclear-capable 9M729 missile.

“In the absence of any credible answer from Russia on this new missile, allies believe that the most plausible assessment would be that Russia is in violation of the INF Treaty,” she said.

Lungescu didn’t comment on Trump’s threat to withdraw from the treaty, saying only that the “allies continue consultations.”

The E uropean Union warned Trump to assess the potential impact of abandoning a 40-year-old arms control agreement.