Russia Says it Won't Let U.S. Inspect Missile at Heart of Nuclear Dispute (1 Viewer)

[Rogue Valley]

Russia Says it Won't Let U.S. Inspect Missile at Heart of Nuclear Dispute | The Moscow Times

12/19/18
Russia said on Wednesday it would not let the United States inspect a new nuclear-capable cruise missile at the heart of a dispute between Washington and Moscow that risks unraveling a landmark arms control treaty. Washington has threatened to pull out of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), alleging that the new Russian missile, the Novator 9M729 (called SSC-8 by NATO), violates the pact, which bans either side from stationing short and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe. The United States issued Russia a 60-day ultimatum earlier this month to come clean about the alleged missile violation and return to "full and verifiable compliance." That means Moscow is under pressure to scrap the new missile and its launchers.

However, Russia said on Wednesday it had no intention of letting U.S. inspectors look at the missile, which it said had not been tested at the longer range that Washington alleges. "We don't feel right now that such a step would be justified from either a political or a technical point of view," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with the Kommersant daily newspaper published on Wednesday. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats said on Nov. 30 that Russia has already deployed multiple battalions of 9M729 missiles and that they posed a direct threat to most of Europe and parts of Asia. Russian military experts asked their U.S. counterparts several days ago to hold consultations on the missile dispute, but had not yet received any response, Ryabkov said.

Moscow: "The Novator 9M729 is in INF compliance and no, you cannot physically verify that claim. You'll have to trust us." :lamo

 

[DaveFagan]

Another "Who you gonna' believe" moment.. I haven't detected truthful dialogue from either party.
/

 

[Rogue Valley]

Another "Who you gonna' believe" moment.. I haven't detected truthful dialogue from either party.
/

Well lookie here. RT Jr.

 

[Westphalian]

Considering that the US has informed Russia that its decision to scrap INF is final, there is no story here.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Considering that the US has informed Russia that its decision to scrap INF is final, there is no story here.

The story is embedded in the thread OP....

Russia Says it Won't Let U.S. Inspect Missile at Heart of Nuclear Dispute | The Moscow Times

No one in their right mind is simply going to trust the Putin regime regarding, well, anything actually.