Russia wheels out key missile in bid to save US arms treaty

Russia on Wednesday unveiled a missile system that Washington claims is in violation of a key arms control treaty, in a last-minute bid to counter US criticism and save the Soviet-era agreement.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to walk away from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF), with Washington claiming that Russia’s 9M729 ground-based missile system violates the deal.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the system contravenes the treaty and, to prove its point, on Wednesday showed off the missile at Patriot Park, a sprawling theme park near the town of Kubinka just outside Moscow.

Standing next to the system, a Russian defence ministry official detailed the missile’s features to foreign media and foreign military officials.

Just over 20 foreign military officials were in attendance at the presentation, although none from any NATO country, the Russian defence ministry said.

Moscow officials insisted the range of the system was allowed under the agreement that bans missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometres (310 to 3,400 miles).

Mikhail Matveevsky, Russia’s chief of artillery and missile troops, pointed out that the 9M729’s maximum range is 480 kilometres (300 miles), adding it was a modification of the 9M728 missile.

Matveevsky said the army could not tamper with the missile’s maximum range because it depended on the amount of fuel put into the rocket at the production stage.

“Russia was in compliance and continues to be in strict compliance with the stipulations of the treaty and does not allow any violations,” he said.

Matveevsky said Moscow was presenting the information in the interests of “voluntary transparency.”

Washington has said it would not be satisfied with Moscow’s offer of a “static display” of the missiles, because they would not show whether they breach the treaty.

The US says the missile system should be destroyed in a verifiable manner if Russia wants to keep the INF alive.

A Russian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the NATO-member countries no-show was telling.

“How are they going to have dialogue with us?” he told AFP.

– ‘Complete failure’ in talks –

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, also in attendance, said Russia decided to unveil the missile after US officials refused to listen to Moscow’s proposals during talks in Geneva this month, with the negotiations resulting in “complete failure”.

Last month Washington gave Russia a 60-day deadline — which ends on February 2 — to dismantle the 9M729 or the US would begin the six-month process of formally withdrawing from the treaty.

Ryabkov said that because Washington’s claims were unsubstantiated the agreement would remain in force even if the US tries to withdraw.

He added the US continued to work on missiles banned by the treaty and was expanding its production facilities at home.

“The treaty must be preserved,” Ryabkov said. “It is for the American side to make the choice.”

– ‘Concrete characteristics’ –

Most foreign diplomats at the briefing refused to say whether Moscow managed to convince them it was in compliance.

But Li Xiaofeng, an aide to a Chinese military attache, said it was important that Russia had presented both the 9M728 and 9M729 missiles.

Asked to comment on Russia’s compliance, he told AFP: “I trust concrete characteristics. So far we don’t see any concrete characteristics from the American side.”

Li said there was “no evidence” Russia violated the agreement.

The INF treaty puts no restrictions on major military actors like China, a huge concern for the United States.

Washington has said Russia’s offers of inspection of the 9M729 merely “paid lip service” to transparency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to develop nuclear missiles banned under the INF treaty if it is scrapped.

He said in December he was open to the idea of other countries joining the deal or to starting talks on a new agreement.

Putin has also said that if Washington moves to place more missiles in Europe, Russia would respond and European countries would be at risk of a Russian attack.

The European Union has urged Russia and the US to save the deal.

The agreement was signed in 1987 by then US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, resolving a crisis over Soviet nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles targeting Western capitals.