NATO, Russia to hold talks amid missile treaty crisis
NATO and Russian officials will hold talks this week, the alliance said on 21 January, with the future of a key Cold War era arms treaty hanging by a thread.
Diplomats said the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty will be on the agenda for the 25 January meeting of the NATO-Russia Council, which is also expected to cover the crisis in Ukraine.
The US has given Moscow until 2 February to dismantle a new cruise missile system that Washington and its 28 NATO allies say breaches the landmark 1987 accord.
Talks between US and Kremlin officials in Geneva last week led nowhere, with the Americans accusing Russia of dishonesty and evasiveness and Moscow calling for more talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of a new arms race if the INF collapses, saying Europe would be its main victim.
All 29 NATO members have unanimously endorsed the US assessment that Russia's nuclear-capable 9M729 cruise missile system violates the INF treaty, which bans ground-launched missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500km
Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas used a visit to Moscow on 18 January to spell out the alliance's view that it was up to Russia to save the treaty by dismantling the missile system.
'Like other NATO members, we believe that there is a missile violating this treaty and it should be destroyed in a verifiable manner to get back to the implementation of this agreement,' Maas told reporters.
Washington has raised concerns about the missile system with the Russians at least 30 times over the past five years, according to officials.
In December 2018 the US took the unusual step of publishing extensive details of the evidence it has shown Moscow to prove the missiles breach the treaty.
But Moscow continues to deny the claims and has made several counter-accusations against the US.
Last week US Under Secretary of State Andrea Thompson dismissed Russian offers to inspect the missile system as inadequate and accused Moscow of paying 'lip service to transparency'.
Events over recent years - such as Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and the deadly nerve agent attack in Britain in March 2018, blamed on the Kremlin - have seen tensions between NATO and Russia soar.
But the two sides have maintained regular dialogue in Brussels and ambassadors from the 29 NATO countries will meet their Russian counterpart on 25 January.
More from Defence Notes
-
US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
-
Can the US overcome Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities?
Washington’s ageing inventory and the pace Moscow and Beijing have been modernising their capabilities put in check the US Nuclear deterrence.
-
US FY2024 funding package passes as China closes military capability gap
The Pentagon has been operating under temporary funding since October 2023, which has impacted its main acquisition and development programmes, increasing the capability gap between the US and China.
-
NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
-
US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025
The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.