On Wednesday 31 July, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg once again called on Russia to respect the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which he described as the “cornerstone of European security for decades”.
If Moscow does not comply with this agreement by Friday 2 August, the United States’ withdrawal from the treaty will take effect and it will no longer be active. The United States and NATO accuse Russia of deploying a new intermediate-range missile called the 9M729, or SSC-8.
“We are still asking Russia to return to compliance with the treaty to save it, but at the same time, we are ready for a world without an INF treaty, with more Russian missiles”, the Secretary General said again. He recalled that he had “repeatedly” asked Russia to comply with and respect the INF Treaty.
Mr Stoltenberg recalled that Allied Defence Ministers had decided on 26 June to react to the end of the INF Treaty “in a defensive, coordinated and measured manner” (see EUROPE 12284/7).
“We will examine conventional options: air and anti-missile defence, improved intelligence, exercises and new arms control initiatives”, the Secretary General said. He said NATO would not copy Russia’s actions and had no intention of deploying new terrestrial nuclear systems in Europe.
The Secretary General of the Alliance is scheduled to address the press this Friday to provide an update on the situation. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)