NATO prepares for a world without the 30-year-old INF nuclear treaty

Published Jun 26, 2019

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Brussels - NATO defence ministers are due Wednesday to prepare

for the expected demise of a Russia-US nuclear non-proliferation deal

that has been a cornerstone of Europe's security architecture for the

past three decades.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, signed by the

United States and the Soviet Union in 1987, bans ground-launched

missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead a distance of 500 to

5,500 kilometres.

Washington, backed by its NATO allies, accuses Moscow of being in

breach of the deal by developing its 9M729 missile system, known to

NATO as SSC-8. It has set an August 2 deadline for Russia to comply,

or else the treaty will expire.

Russia rejects the accusation and has announced its intention to pull

out of the deal.

Efforts are still focused on bringing Russia into compliance, NATO

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, noting that the

window of opportunity is getting "smaller and smaller."

However, NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels for two-day talks

will prepare various possible steps to be taken if, as expected,

Russia remains in breach.

NATO's response will be "defensive, measured and coordinated,"

Stoltenberg said ahead of the meeting. There are no intentions to

deploy new land-based nuclear missiles in Europe, he added.

"All options are on the table," US ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey

Hutchison said in a separate Tuesday briefing.

Ministers are also expected to adopt NATO's first ever space policy,

discuss efforts to meet defence expenditure targets and hold talks on

new technological challenges.

Recent tensions between Iran and the US are likely to be addressed on

the sidelines.

dpa

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