WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Ford explained the engagement would involve "some kind of discussion… if that were felt to be in the interests of both parties, and if we felt we could trust Russia to keep its word after the problems we’ve been having with them over the IMF [Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces] treaty."
"[Trump] has made very clear that he is interested in broader engagement with Russia on matters of mutual interest," Ford said in a speech at the 2016 Nuclear Policy Conference sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"The INF violation problem is of great concern to us. We’re taking it very seriously," he added.
Russia has repeatedly said to be in compliance with the INF treaty and it is the United States that has violated the agreement by deploying a missile shield in Romania and Poland.
Ford argued the United States should do more to keep Russia from repeating such behavior if there is any possibility of bringing Russia back in compliance with the treaty.
"I think we need to do more to disincentivize violations… and do more to make sure Russia doesn’t receive a military advantage from such violations," he noted.
However, Ford claimed Trump will ensure the United States does what is necessary to maintain nuclear forces superiority.
"The President has made very clear that he will not accept a second-place position in the nuclear weapons arena, and he has made very clear that he also wants to ensure that the men and women of our nuclear forces have the very best," he said. "An arms race with American technology and military budgets is not something that [Russia] would find particularly attractive."
The INF treaty was negotiated and signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987. Under the treaty — which Russia is a party to as Soviet successor state. Both countries agreed to give up and no longer develop land-based missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.
