Stars and Stripes:
A new Russian missile is putting at risk a 31-year-old nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow long regarded as a cornerstone for stability in Europe, the chief of NATO said on Tuesday.
“We have looked into this intelligence and we are extremely concerned,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at alliance headquarters in Brussels.
Stoltenberg, who will meet with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other allied ministers for two days of talks beginning Wednesday, said NATO members will discuss concerns that Moscow is violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. At issue is Russia’s new 9M729 ground-launched missile, which the U.S. says violates the INF’s ban on all ground-launched intermediate-range cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of between 310 AND 3,400 miles.
“After years of denials, Russia recently acknowledged the existence of a new missile system, called 9M729,” Stoltenberg said. “Russia has not provided any credible answers on this new missile. All allies agree that the most plausible assessment would be that Russia is in violation of the treaty.”
