Abstract | The undated Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF Treaty) signed by the presidents of the USSR and the USA in 1987 is under the threat of rupture. In accordance with this Treaty, within three years, the parties had been eliminating all ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with an operational range of 500 kms to 5500 kms, removing a threat of total nuclear destruction of the whole Europe. The U. S. claims relate to the development and testing of the Russian ground-based Kalibr cruise missile with an operational range of more than 500 kms using an adapted ground launcher. Russia accuses the United States of: deploying in Romania and then in Poland the ABM defense facility with MK-41 launchers, similar to those on the United States Navy ships, which are able to launch not only anti-missiles of the “Standard-3M” type, but also Tomahawk cruise missiles with a flight range of 2500 kms; using the ballistic missile-targets of “Hera” type, which are alternative to medium-range ballistic missiles, in the process of the ABM system testing; the creation of the attack air drone “Traitor” and “Reaper” with a range of more than 500 kms. All violations of a number of the INF Treaty provisions alleged by the parties are exclusively technical, and even if they did exist, this would not have affected the balance of power in any way. In order to resolve disputes, an objective analysis of the claims is to be made within the framework of the Special Control Commission existing in accordance with this Treaty. Compromise is difficult to find only due to the lack of confidence between the parties, which must be overcome as the threat of the INF Treaty denunciation exceeds the underlying causes of mistrust. |