INF TREATY -- Russian Duma Approves INF Treaty Suspension

INF TREATY

Russian Duma Approves INF Treaty Suspension

The Russian State Duma has agreed to support legislation submitted by Putin to suspend Russia’s obligations under the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Putin submitted the legislation to Russia’s lower parliamentary chamber May 30. Later the same day, Chairman of the State Duma Viacheslav Volodin announced that the Duma would support the bill and would provide the Russian president with the ability to reinstate the treaty “in case the United States changes its position.”

Putin signed an executive order March 4 suspending Russia’s compliance with the INF Treaty with similar provisions.

On June 18, the Duma passed the legislation to suspend the agreement, and according to Russian media reports, the upper house of the Russian parliament (the Federation Council) may consider the legislation June 26.

According to TASS, State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Vladimir Shamanov said May 30 there are no immediate plans to “start manufacturing intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles” following the suspension of the treaty. However, it was reported that at the June 18 vote, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov noted that Russia would be ready if the United States deploys INF Treaty-range missiles, but will not be the first to deploy these missiles “wherever it may be” until Washington makes the first move.

The INF Treaty banned missiles with ranges between 500 km and 5,000 km. The United States has accused Russia of violating the treaty by already developing, testing, and deploying a missile (the 9M729) whose range falls within the prohibited range.

NATO Defense Ministers to Meet in June on Post-INF Options

NATO defense ministers will meet June 26-27 to prepare defense and deterrence measures “to ensure the security of the alliance” if Russia does not come back into compliance with the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a European official told Arms Control Today.

Ahead of the June 26 meeting, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford told a Washington thinktank audience May 29 that the NATO alliance is “putting the final touches” on its first new military strategy since the Cold War. According to Dunford, the classified plan was approved by U.S. and European military leaders in May and is being sent to each NATO capital for approval, which could take months.

At an April 4 NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that NATO “has no intention” to deploy “ground-launched nuclear missiles in Europe.” The Pentagon is currently developing ground-launched conventional INF Treaty-range missile capabilities.