Russia calls for trust building with the US

The Kremlin on Monday proposed that Russia and the United States agree not to deploy certain land-based missiles in Europe and introduce mutual verification measures to build trust following the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

The United States withdrew from the 1987 INF Treaty last year, accusing Moscow of violating it, a charge denied by the Kremlin.

Global nuclear arms control architecture has come under further strain since then as the former Cold War foes have been unable to agree on a replacement to New START, another major arms control pact that is due to expire in February 2021.

The Kremlin yesterday suggested “de-escalation” measures. These included allowing Russia to conduct checks on the US Aegis Ashore system in Europe, and the United States to check Russia’s 9M729 missiles in facilities in the exclave of Kaliningrad.