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Moscow’s extreme rigidity pushes Washington toward CFE decision

Other News Materials 24 November 2011 17:47 (UTC +04:00)
Moscow’s extreme rigidity pushes Washington toward CFE decision

Azerbaijan, Baku, November 24 / Trend, E. Tariverdiyeva /

Russia has preferred demanding toughly for US's guarantees in the missile defense issue, and such extreme rigidity, as a response to US's certain flexibility, has pushed Washington toward making decision on the Common Force in Europe (CFE) Treaty, Vladimir Evseyev, Director of the Center for Public and Political Studies of Russia, told Trend.

The United States has announced it stops observing its commitments before the Russian Federation under the CFE. The White House took such decision after four years of attempts to persuade Russia to observe the terms of the Treaty Russia left in 2007.

As a response, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on November 23 made an unprecedented tough statement relating to deployment of the US missile defense system in Europe.

The President announced a whole range of military measures he said Russia will undertake as a response. Medvedev decided to report these plans to public after the failure of his talks with Barack Obama at a recent summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). In addition, Medvedev threatened to cancel the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-II) Russia concluded with the US at the end of 2010.

"I can't understand why the US announced it leaves the CFE right now; however, I also disagree with Russia's so quick response to the Americans," Evseyev, who is also the Trend International Experts Council Member, reported.

As viewed by him, Americans will try to answer Russia as quickly as possible. This can be done in different ways; particularly, it is possible to speed up deployment of a missile defense system in Romania, or increase the number of interceptor missiles in Poland, or strengthen Aegis cruise missiles, which will lead to Russia's retaliatory steps.

"The threat of spread of such two-sided flywheel is real," he said.

The real reason of that Russia can not build a missile defense system jointly with the United States is that Russia is not of possession of analogue of the US ground-based Aegis system, Evseyev noted.

"Moscow simply is not of possession of striking systems as neither C-300 nor C-400 is good for these purposes. Otherwise, Moscow undoubtedly would have agreed to create a missile defense system jointly with the West. But anyway, Russia should not have confronted; it should rather proceed from what the US has offered," the expert believes.

In his opinion, no official meetings between the leaders of the US and Russia are expected to occur in the near month; moreover, Russia's to-be leader unlikely will attend the NATO summit to be held in Chicago next May.

"As for the new START, Russia and the United States made a lot of efforts to conclude it, and both leaders tried to get it ratified so it can not be given up so easily," Evseyev said.

The expert noted that the START fully meets Russia's interests and that Russia will find itself in the vacuum in the issue of nuclear arms if it leaves it.

"Another thing is that Russia should not go further than the Treaty provides. Russia should not also speculate that it will leave the Prague START as such would tighten the position of the US in this issue and in bilateral relations in general," he said.

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