NATO is demanding that Russia unconditionally destroy all of its 9k729 cruise missiles by August, or face unspecific repercussions. Officials conceded that there was no expectation Russia would actually destroy those missiles.



The 9k729 missiles are the source of US accusations that Russia was violating the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Russia denied they were in violation, and insisted they were shorter range than the treaty covered.



At any rate, this no longer should matter, since the US already announced they are withdrawing from the INF, so there is no reason to expect Russia would consider itself bound by a treaty with no other signatories.



US Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison told reporters that “all options are on the table” in retaliation, but for the time being, the US is only considering “conventional systems,” and not an immediate nuclear response.



The underlying threat is that the US, or NATO in general, are going to put nuclear arms on the Russian border, which the INF wouldn’t have allowed, but which they are no longer abiding by. Russia has warned this would create a crisis on the level of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.





Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz