{"id":54369,"date":"2017-12-12T06:49:46","date_gmt":"2017-12-12T06:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=54369"},"modified":"2017-12-12T06:49:46","modified_gmt":"2017-12-12T06:49:46","slug":"cold-war-hots-up-as-russia-deploys-new-icmb-and-us-starts-missile-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/cold-war-hots-up-as-russia-deploys-new-icmb-and-us-starts-missile-development.html","title":{"rendered":"Cold War hots up as Russia deploys new ICMB and US starts missile development"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cold War hots up as Russia deploys new ICMB and US starts missile development<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

A FRESH nuclear arms race between the US and Russia was ramping up today after Donald Trump accused Moscow of breaching a weapons control treaty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Washington warned it would start developing new weapons if the Kremlin continued to flout the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Russia in turn threatened to equip its military with \u201cmore powerful weapons within a very short time\u201d if the US abandoned the 1987 accord signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.<\/span><\/p>\n

US officials said Mr Trump wanted to remain in the INF but could not tolerate Russia\u2019s continuing failure to comply.<\/span><\/p>\n

One official said: \u201cWhat we have decided to do is take the middle-ground option – that they have enjoyed to have their cake and to eat it\u2009-\u2009off the table.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Washington has accused the Kremlin of breaching the INF treaty, which bans the possession, production or flight testing of nuclear-armed cruise and land-based nuclear ballistic missiles with a 300-mile to 3,400-mile range.<\/span><\/p>\n

General Paul Selva, the vice-chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, told Congress back in March that Russia had deployed a new cruise missile that contravened the INF.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr Trump\u2019s national security team decided at the time not to take any action that would see the US in breach of the INF deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it is understood the Pentagon is now researching modifications to existing weapons and developing new systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

The official stressed Mr Trump wanted to save the treaty and would reverse the measures as soon as Russia returned to compliance.<\/span><\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThe possibility of the treaty falling apart is inherent in the approach that we\u2019re taking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not intend to remain bound, if they refuse to be bound, but our sincere hope is that we end up both being bound.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov rejected the US claims and branded them \u201cabsolutely unsubstantiated\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

He said Moscow was \u201cready to engage in a non-politicised, professional dialogue\u201d but warned attempts to impose \u201cultimatums or to put military and political pressure on Russia through sanctions\u2009were unacceptable\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moscow said US missile defence systems in Romania \u2014 which are also scheduled for deployment in Poland next year \u2014 could be used to launch Tomahawk medium-range missiles and therefore breached the INF.<\/span><\/p>\n

Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the foreign affairs committee of the Federation Council, said the Aegis Ashore system was \u201cin gross violation of the INF treaty\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

A second US official said Aegis Ashore did not violate the treaty because it was \u201cnot capable of launching a cruise missile\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also rejected \u200bRussian claims that rocket tests for\u200b missile defence systems\u200b and the use of armed drones b\u200breached the treaty\u200b b\u200because they were explicitly permitted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Viktor Bondarev, chairman of the Russian Federation Council\u2019s defence committee, said Russia would equip its military with \u201cmore powerful weapons within a very short time\u201d if the US abandoned the INF.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arms control experts have long warned of the potential for exactly that kind of dangerous escalation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Douglas Barrie, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said if the US developed a ground-based cruise missile, and Russia continued to deny a breach, \u201cit would provide Russian president Vladimir Putin a propaganda victory and a \u2018legitimate\u2019 reason to blame the US for the collapse of the INF Treaty\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moscow said a collapse of the treaty would greatly raise international security threats and spell doom for an extension of the new Start treaty due next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/world\/890816\/cold-war-world-war-3-nuclear-arms-race-usa-russia-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-inf-treaty<\/span><\/p>\n

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