BRUSSELS, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries, today issued a statement following the official termination of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty).
NATO said Russia had violated the INF Treaty, which prohibited the deployment of ground-based nuclear weapons with a range of 500 to 5,500 km.
The accord had eliminated a whole category of nuclear weapons that threatened Europe in the 1980s, it said.
“All NATO Allies agree that the SSC-8 / 9M729 missile system developed and deployed by Russia violated the INF Treaty, while posing a significant risk to Alliance security.
“Despite Allies’ repeated calls on Russia to return to full and verifiable compliance, Russia continued to develop and deploy Treaty-violating systems, which led to the agreement’s demise,” the statement said.
The US decision to withdraw from the Treaty has been fully supported by NATO Allies, the statement said.
It also added that NATO will respond in a measured and responsible way to the significant risks posed by the Russian 9M729 missile to Allied security.
“We have agreed a balanced, coordinated and defensive package of measures to ensure NATO’s deterrence and defence posture remains credible and effective.”
Meanwhile, citing a statement Friday from the Russsian Foreign Ministry, TASS news agency reported that the INF Treaty was terminated at the initiative of Washington.
–NNN-AGENCIES
