MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russia is open for a dialogue with the US on the INF Treaty, but chances to reach some agreements with the US on the issue look slim, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the Kommersant daily on Tuesday.
"Hypothetic prospects of arriving at certain agreements regarding the INF Treaty look extremely vague to us today. But we are not closing the door on this dialogue," the diplomat said. "We have repeatedly confirmed it to the US, including in the recent time. We are ready to look for real solutions, but we don’t intend to confess to what we haven’t done," Ryabkov said.
"It is clear that political agreements and even legally binding agreements cannot give complete and indefinite guarantees in the present situation, as exemplified in Washington’s wrecking the INF Treaty. However, in case of achieving at least framework understandings on sensitive aspects of security with their subsequent codification, an opportunity emerges as a rule to expect certain stabilizing predictability and mutual restraint in the foreseeable future," Ryabkov said.
He said hypothetic agreements with the US on the treaty are possible only in conditions of a regular and equal dialogue, but Moscow does not see readiness of Washington and its allies to cooperate on the basis of equality and with regard for Russia’s legitimate interests.
"Besides, our colleagues in the US are obviously in no hurry to restore the formats of a full-value dialogue between the military, which is crucial for solving the problems in that area," the diplomat added.
When asked whether Russia believes it when the US and NATO maintain they have no plans to deploy short-and intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Ryabkov said "one can hardly speak about believing one’s word in military-political affairs related directly to fundamental interests of national security" against the background of "an acute lack of trust" between Russia and the West.
"Even if we assume that Washington and its allies do not have such plans today, we cannot rule out that such ideas and plans will emerge tomorrow given profound changes for the worse in security conditions in the Euro-Atlantic space, persisting anti-Russian sentiment in the US Congress and Russophobic manifestations prevailing in NATO," he explained.
Situation around the INF Treaty
US Secretary of State Pompeo announced on December 4 that the US would stop adhering to the treaty unless Russia returned to compliance with it within 60 days. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance gave Russia the last chance to save the arms control deal but "must also start preparing for a world without the Treaty."
On October 20, US President Donald Trump said that Washington would withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty because Russia had allegedly violated it. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov called this decision a dangerous move. Berlin and Beijing criticized Washington, London voiced its support for the US, while NATO laid the blame for Trump’s decision on Russia.
The INF deal was concluded on December 8, 1987, and took effect on June 1, 1988. It applies to deployed and non-deployed ground-based missiles of intermediate range (1,000-5,000 kilometers) and shorter range (500-1,000 kilometers). In recent years, Washington has repeatedly accused Russia of violating the treaty. Moscow strongly dismissed the accusations and voiced its own counterclaims against Washington’s non-compliance.