Putin's reaction to Pentagon's test of missiles which violated INF Treaty

Putin’s address to the permanent members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation came with strong assertions about its position vis-à-vis Washington’s formal withdrawal from the INF treaty. Putin’s speech came five days after the United States made a test launch of a ground-based cruise missile which, according to the US military, hit the target at a distance over 500 kilometres.

According to Putin, the testing of a missile with characteristics prohibited under this treaty taking place just 16 days after Washington’s own denunciation, was obvious not to be an improvisation but the next link in a chain of events that were planned and carried out earlier. The speech was an important indicator about Russia’s position for the future and a planned Russian reciprocal response.

 - Drago Victorien

The US has built a missile launch base in Romania with another currently near completion in Poland.  At both of these bases will be a ground-based launch site called 'Aegis Ashore'.  From this base the US could launch SM-3 'missile defense' interceptors and first-strike attack cruise missiles which could hit Moscow in 10 minutes time.

In this video Putin refers to the Tomahawk nuclear-capable cruise missile as the one that was tested on August 18 by the US.  The test was conducted from San Nicolas Island, California, and the Pentagon said that "the test missile exited its ground mobile launcher and accurately impacted its target after more than 500 kilometers of flight."

The US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with Moscow earlier this month. The INF Treaty (signed by Reagan and Gorbachev in 1987) limited the development of ground-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.

Putin correctly states in the video that a test of this system, from a ground-based launch platform so soon after US withdrawal from the INF, clearly indicates that the US had been developing this technology long before Washington withdrew from the treaty.

The US has lately been pulling out of virtually all arms control treaties. George W. Bush withdrew the US from the ABM Treaty (that outlawed 'missile defense' systems) in 2002, Trump quit the Iran-Nuclear Deal and now again Trump has walked away from the INF Treaty.

It is as clear as a bell that Washington intends to move from arms control to 'full spectrum dominance' and refuses to be restricted by any sane attempts to restrain and reduce the arms race.  In fact Washington currently refuses to declare a nuclear 'No First Use' policy.  Russia and China have long renounced the first use of nuclear weapons.

Also in the video Putin refers to Russia's annual military spending (just over $60 billion a year) while the Pentagon budget is well over $1 trillion a year once all the various military pots of gold are added up.  So there is obviously no 'rough equivalence' between the two nation's military forces.

The US leads the pack by a wide margin and intends to keep driving a new arms race that is profitable for the aerospace industry and creates new global instability.

The constant demonization of Putin and Russia is surely intended to disguise the true US intentions of putting Washington in the dangerous position to be 'Master of Space' and 'King of the Hill' on Earth.

Sadly most Americans (and much of the west) appear to have fallen for Washington's propaganda.

Bruce