Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the U.S. about scrapping the June 1, 1988 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty [INF] signed by President Ronald Reagan and former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev Dec. 8, 1987 in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump indicated he would scrap the INF treaty if Russia did not dismantle its intermediate-range nuclear missiles, something Trump claims violate the treaty. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put Moscow on notice that if they didn’t reduce their medium-range arsenal in 60 days the U.S. would formally withdraw from the INF treaty. “They [Americans] thought we would not notice,” Putin said, insisting Trump had already decided to scrap the INF treaty. Putin denied that his country has done anything different than several other nuclear powers that have also added intermediate-range nuclear missiles to their arsenals.
Trump thinks two of the world’s three remaining superpowers have not improved much since he took office Jan. 20, 2017. With Russian hysteria sweeping Capitol Hill, especially Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russian meddling investigation, Trump can’t make much headway improving relations from its recent low point during the waning days of Obama administration. Former President Barack Obama didn’t help things expelling 35 Russian diplomats Dec. 22, 2016, only six weeks after his candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, lost to Trump Nov. 6, 2016. Obama lashed out at Russia after his intel chiefs concluded Russia hacked the email of the Democratic National Committee [DNC] and former Hillary campaign Chairman John D. Podesta. Obama concluded that Russian helped Trump beat Hillary by embarrassing her before the election with hacked emails.
Obama didn’t admit that before ejecting 35 Russian diplomats he ordered his Attorney General Loretta Lynch, National Security Advisor Susan Rice and former FBI Director James Comey to wiretap Trump campaign officials with the hope of helping Hillary get elected. Hillary famously accused Trump of being a “Russian Puppet,” suggesting he was behind the WikiLeaks dump of damaging emails proving corruption at the DNC under Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fl.) and that Hillary received debate questions in advance from former CNN pundit and interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile. Since WikiLeaks released its damaging emails in July and October 2016, the Obama administration relentlessly pursued wiretaps of Trump campaign officials through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court [FISA], something illegal and unprecedented in U.S. politics.
All the Russian collusions machinations have harmed Trump’s ability to conduct normal foreign policy with Russia, now leaving the two superpowers dangerously close to a confrontation. When Hillary ran in 2016, she urged creating a dangerous no-fly zone in Syria, threatening to shoot down Russian fighter jets should they stray into restricted airspace. Trump campaigned on improving relations with Russia, promptly sabotaged by the Special Counsel investigation, trying, but failing, to establish collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Hillary paid FusionGPS to create opposition research AKA “the dossier,” that asserted without proof that Trump colluded with the Kremlin to win the 2016 presidential election. Preventing Trump from normalizing relations with Russia has left U.S.-Russian relations unstable. Trump wanted to improve U.S.-Russian relations but the Special Counsel made it impossible.
Trump wants Russia to curtail its 9M729 intermediate-rage missiles, capable of traveling 5,500 kilometers [3,400 miles], something that threatens every major city in Europe. Staging missiles in Kaliningrad, Russia’s western-most missile base, threatens every major European capital. Putin essentially told Trump to keep the INF Treaty in tact, while simultaneously working on new intermediate-range nuclear missiles. “The INF has guaranteed peace and security in European territory for 30 years now,” said European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini, urging the U.S. and Russia to stay in the treaty. “One of the main destructive factors complication the international situation is how the U.S. is acting as it attempts to remain its dominant role in the world,” said Valery Gerasimov, head of Russia’s general staff. If that’s not the kettle calling the pot black then what is?
Russia has been on an aggressive terror over the last decade, routinely invading countries that it sees fit. Gerasimov can’t point to a single incursion by the U.S. into any international territory. Putin’s March 1, 2014 invasion of Crimea, stealing Crimea from Ukraine, is just one example of Russia’s aggressive behavior. Seizing three Ukrainian warships in the narrow Kerch Strait in Sea of Azov Nov. 26 is the latest act of Russian aggression. However justified by the Kremlin, it hardly shows the U.S. asserting world dominance. EU officials like Moherini know that Russia’s fleet of intermediate-range nuclear missiles are pointed at every European capital from its base in Kaliningrad. Whether the U.S. scraps the INF treaty or not, Russia has all the firepower it needs to confront NATO in Europe. Trump should heed Putin’s call to leave the INF alone and catch up new intermediate-range missiles.
