NATO United In Support Of US Position On INF Treaty - Acting Pentagon Chief

NATO United In Support of US Position on INF Treaty - Acting Pentagon Chief

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is united in supporting the United States' withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Thursday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th February, 2019) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is united in supporting the United States' withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Thursday.

"NATO maintained unity on a sensitive, critically important issue," Shanahan said in Brussels after a meeting of ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO).

Members of the alliance agree that this is a simple case of "US compliance and Russian noncompliance," he added.

The acting Pentagon chief also said the public in Western countries is not aware "of the evolving threat" from Russia and China.

"I'm referring to the evolving situation we see with our infrastructure, cybersecurity, space," he said, adding that NATO ministers had discussed the issue during their meeting.

Shanahan also stressed that US commitment to its NATO obligations remains "ironclad," including its obligations under the North Atlantic Treaty's Article 5, which enshrines the principle of collective defense. He dismissed any concerns that President Donald Trump might not be committed to the alliance.

The INF Treaty, which was signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987 and banned all ground-launched missiles with ranges of 310 to 3,400 miles (500 to 5,500 kilometers), has recently become another contentious point in the relationship between the United States and Russia.

The United States has claimed that the range of Russia's 9M729 missile violates the treaty's limits, but Moscow has denied the allegations, calling them unsubstantiated. Russia, in turn, has complained that US defense systems in Europe were equipped with launchers capable of firing cruise missiles at ranges prohibited under the INF Treaty.

Earlier in February, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo announced that the United States had suspended its obligations under the INF Treaty and triggered the six-month withdrawal process unless Russia comes back into compliance with the pact. The following day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow had suspended its participation in the treaty in response to the US actions.