The U.S. ambassador to NATO put Russia “on notice” Tuesday, threatening to destroy an intermediate-range missile that sits well within range of NATO allies.
Kay Bailey Hutchison, during a news conference in Brussels, cited Russia’s development of an intermediate-range cruise missile, which is in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
“Getting them to withdraw [the missile] would be our choice, of course,” Hutchison said. “But I think the question was what would you do if this continues to a point where we know that they are capable of delivering. And at that point we would then be looking at a capability to take out a missile that could hit any of our countries in Europe and hit America in Alaska.”
Hutchison added that the U.S. and NATO haven’t yet reached that point.
“We are not moving in that direction right now, but we are trying to tell Russia, and you know, the United States Congress told Russia last year when they passed the armed services bill about this time last year, that we know they have violated the treaty and we are beginning the research capabilities that are allowed by the treaty to deter a medium-range ballistic missile,” she said.
The 1987 treaty banned ground-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles. Last year, the U.S. repeatedly accused Russia of violating the treaty when news surfaced that an intermediate-range missile had been deployed to the western province of Kaliningrad, well within range of NATO countries.
“When you make agreements, when you sign treaties, you have to live up to those treaties,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said last year after consulting with NATO allies in Brussels. “Our effort is to bring Russia back into compliance. It is not to walk away from the treaty.”
Hutchison said U.S. officials are discussing next steps with NATO partners.
“We have been asked by our allies to consult with them on this issue which we are going to do, which we have done, and we will be even more specific, I believe, in the next two days with the evaluations that are documented that we have uncovered from Russia’s actions on the INF Treaty in violation,” she said. “The United States does not want to withdraw from the treaty. We certainly don’t intend to violate the treaty. So we are asking our allies for their suggestions on a way forward that would bring Russia into compliance, because that is our goal. Russia in compliance.”
Mattis told reporters in Paris on Tuesday that he plans to discuss the issue with NATO ministers in Brussels on Wednesday.
“I cannot forecast where it will go, it is a decision for the president, but I can tell you that both on Capitol Hill and in State Department, there is a lot of concern about this situation and I’ll return with the advice of our allies and engage in that discussion to determine the way ahead,” he told reporters, according to Reuters.
