The president White House administration is under the microscope in all of its dealings with Russia. Some claim that the president’s stand with Russia is more harsh than previous administrations, while others question whether it is too lenient.
An administration official confirmed on Friday that during his scheduled meetings with Russian officials next week, National Security Adviser John Bolton will inform Russia that the U.S. intends to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Treaty. This treaty is also known as the INF.
“Across two administrations, the United States and our allies have attempted to bring Russia back into full and verifiable compliance with INF,” the source said. He or she spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Despite our objections, Russia continues to produce and field prohibited cruise missiles and has ignored calls for transparency.”
The State Department has for a time now kept the position that the United States is in compliance with the treaty and Russia is not. A statement in December from the department’s Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance said that “the Russian Federation’s continuing violation and refusal to engage constructively is an impediment to improving bilateral relations and creates an untenable situation whereby the United States unilaterally complies with the INF treaty while the Russian Federation violates it.”
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said earlier this month that Russia’s deployment of nuclear-capable missiles in violation of an arms treaty was “untenable,” and that without changes by Moscow, the U.S. would have to match that military capability.
Mattis said speaking to reporters at the close of a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels that the U.S. was reviewing its diplomatic and military options because of Russia’s continued breaches of the 1987 treaty.
Do you think the U.S. will actually pull out of this treaty? And do you approve of the way the White House is presently dealing with Russia?
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