Nato is on board....
US Puts Russia ‘On Notice’ Over Treaty Violation; NATO Agrees
US Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison sent a warning to Moscow about violating the INF treaty -- one that NATO allies appear prepared to back up.
Left to right: Jim Mattis US Secretary of Defense with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison who is the US Permanent Representative to NATO.
“We have looked into this intelligence and we are extremely concerned,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at the kickoff of the two-day meeting of NATO allies at alliance headquarters in Brussels. The treaty “is in danger because of Russia’s actions,” Stoltenberg said, adding, “all Allies agree that the most plausible assessment would be that Russia is in violation of the treaty. It is therefore urgent that Russia addresses these concerns in a substantial and transparent manner.”
Hutchison’s comments Tuesday were the first time a high-ranking US official indicated that the Pentagon might consider anything more than diplomatic action, should the Russian missiles become operational. “We need to demonstrate to the Russians that we’re serious about them coming back into compliance with INF and that perhaps they need to be reminded why they signed the INF treaty in the first place,” Greg Weaver, the Joint Staff deputy director of strategic capabilities, told reporters when releasing the report.
Some critics of the treaty complain that it doesn’t include other countries, like China, who remain free to build nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. Then- Pacific Command chief — and now Ambassador to South Korea — Adm. Harry Harris told Congress earlier this year that the treaty is “self-limiting,” particularly since “over 90 percent of China’s ground-based missiles would violate the treaty.”
https://breakingdefense.com/2018/10/us-puts-russia-on-notice-over-treaty-violation-nato-agrees/
The statement makes Putin look bad in Moscow, the Kremlin and with the Russian high command. That is, here we have the USA led by Donald Trump talking about taking out Russian missiles on Russian soil while Nato defense ministers hammer Russia for its missile treaty violation. It is clear Trump has turned this over to the Pentagon to direct and manage. This is also a statement to Iran and Beijing. There's now a major rethink in all three capitals about crossing the US in military treaty obligations. The direct negative impact however is on Putin who just got slapped in the face by Amb. Hutchison with SecDef Jim Mattis standing there handing her the slapping gloves.
I expect it'll all be nailed down in a few decades, except for the occasional new book about some detail or other.
