US-Russia INF Treaty Dispute Promotes 'Irrational Competition' - Advocacy Group

© Sputnik / Vladimir RodionovA bundle of three Soviet RSD-10 missiles prepared for demolition at the Kapustin Yar launch site. The missiles were destroyed in accordance with the INF Treaty.
A bundle of three Soviet RSD-10 missiles prepared for demolition at the Kapustin Yar launch site. The missiles were destroyed in accordance with the INF Treaty. - Sputnik International
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Accusations of Russia over alleged violation of the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Missile Treaty (INF) and the US' quest to research and develop aircraft and ship borne mid-range missiles are immaterial to the fact that more nuclear weapons are perfected by each side, Global Security Institute President Jonathan Granoff told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, Politico reported that the US Congress is preparing several defense bills, the provisions of which would require the Department of Defense to violate the 1987 treaty through development of medium-range missiles banned under the accord. The Kremlin commented on the reports by saying that Moscow remans committed to its INF Treaty obligations.

"Regardless of whether Russia violated the INF Treaty or whether the US legislation will lead to further impairment of the nonproliferation regime, any further developments of nuclear weapons exemplifies a universal principle: the more nuclear weapons are perfected the less security is obtained," Granoff said on Friday. "Nuclear weapons ventures bring irrational competition rather than stability."

A bundle of three Soviet RSD-10 missiles prepared for demolition at the Kapustin Yar launch site. The missiles were destroyed in accordance with the INF Treaty. - Sputnik International
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Granoff explained that more nuclear weapons or more modern nuclear weapons both bring less security and that "an arms race is the wrong bus." He noted there are more pressing issues for the United States and Russia to address.

"We need to identify our shared interests and begin cooperating on protecting the climate, ending poverty, and ensuring sustainable global economic development," Granoff said.

Granoff is also a senior advisor to the Nobel Peace Laureate Summit and served as Vice President and United Nations Representative of the Lawyer’s Alliance for World Security.

The United States announced an initiative on revising the INF Treaty for the first time in February in order to stop alleged Russian violations of the agreement. The Intermediate-Range Forces Treaty Preservation Act was proposed by Republican Senators Tom Cotton, Ron Johnson and Marco Rubio and supported by Republican members of the House of Representatives Ted Poe and Mike Rogers, who introduced the bill to the lower chamber.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly expressed concern over the use of unsupported facts by the United States as a pretext for possible restrictive measures against Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has repeatedly said that the Russian leadership had reaffirmed its commitment to the INF Treaty, and that Moscow has never violated the agreement. The minister pointed out that Washington had not provided any data that can be verified, adding that Russia had serious questions concerning US compliance with the INF Treaty.

The INF Treaty, signed in 1987, significantly reduced the arsenal of non-strategic missiles available to the United States and Russia by prohibiting all nuclear and conventional missiles and their launchers with range between 310 and 3,420 miles. The United States and Russia have repeatedly accused each other of violating the INF treaty.

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