(EDM) The United States and Russia have entered the final fortnight before time runs out on their pro formacommitment to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty (1988)—one of the major achievements of then–Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s “new political thinking.” Last October, US President Donald Trump announced his government’s intention to withdraw from this treaty, but in early February he granted Russia a six-month pause to return to compliance. Barring Moscow’s return to its obligations under this Cold War–era arms control document, the INF will be officially terminated on August 2, 2019. Last week (July 15), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made a last-minute open appeal to Russia to preserve this cornerstone of the European security system (Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Frankfurter Allgemeine, July 15). Yet, President Vladimir Putin signed into law the suspension of Russia’s participation in the treaty on July 3 (RIA Novosti, July 3), and has since shown no inclination toward compromise. The Russian top brass never liked the elimination of land-based missiles prescribed by the INF, and Putin began praising the document for its contribution to strategic stability only after Trump’s statement, while remaining in denial of any Russian violations. […]
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