U.S. tells Russia it is ready to abandon key nuclear pact

BRUSSELS» The United States warned Russia on Tuesday it has 60 days to start complying with a landmark nuclear missile treaty or Washington will abandon the pact, raising concern about Europe’s future security.

At NATO talks in Brussels, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Russia of “cheating at its arms control obligations” under the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. He said in 60 days, Washington would activate a six-month notice period for leaving the pact.

“Our nations have a choice. We either bury our head in the sand or we take common sense action in response to Russia’s flagrant disregard for the expressed terms of the INF Treaty,” Pompeo told reporters.

The U.S. has shared intelligence evidence with its NATO allies that Russia’s new SSC-8 ground-fired cruise missile could give Moscow the ability to launch a nuclear strike in Europe with little or no notice.

The INF is a bilateral treaty between Washington and Moscow that bans all landbased cruise and ballistic missiles with a range between 310 and 3,410 miles. Russia says the range of the new system does not exceed 310 miles.

Pompeo said Washington “would welcome a Russian change of heart” but that he has seen no indication that Moscow is likely to comply.

U.S. allies in NATO said Tuesday they “strongly support the finding of the United States that Russia is in material breach of its obligations” while Washington is respecting the treaty.

In a statement, NATO foreign ministers also called on Russia “to return urgently to full and verifiable compliance.”

“It’s up to Russia now to preserve the INF Treaty. They have a last chance to show and demonstrate in a verifiable way that they comply with the treaty,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters. “But we also have to prepare for a world without the treaty.”