{"id":120679,"date":"2019-05-30T18:40:28","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T18:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bnreport.com\/whats-inf-why-does-it-matter\/"},"modified":"2019-05-30T18:40:28","modified_gmt":"2019-05-30T18:40:28","slug":"whats-inf-why-does-it-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bnreport.com\/en\/whats-inf-why-does-it-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Whats INF & why does it matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"
      Russia gears up to suspend the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, after the US decided to abandon it, accusing Moscow of violations. RT looks at how compliance with the pact that calmed the Cold War has been going so far.       \n<\/code><\/pre>\n
What is INF & why it matters?<\/h2>\n
The INF treaty signed<\/a> in 1987 between the USSR and the United States eliminated nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers<\/strong>. The historic accord marked the first time the superpowers had agreed to eliminate an entire category of nuclear arms and introduce on-site inspections for verification. The deal brought much-needed detente to an atmosphere of tense Cold War stand-off, and allowed Europe, which housed much of the American arsenal, to breathe a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/usa\/441841-trump-nuclear-deal-russia-pullout\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">                                                                                                                                                                                                              <img src=\"https:\/\/cdni.rt.com\/files\/2018.10\/thumbnail\/5bcbdf9dfc7e93ad108b460e.JPG\" alt=\"\u00a9 Reuters \/ Kevin Lamarque\" \/>                                                   <\/a> \n<\/code><\/pre>\n
INF shortcomings<\/h2>\n
The deal didnt affect aircraft- and sea-based missiles<\/strong>, an area where the US had a clear strategic advantage at the time, so it was widely seen as a gesture of goodwill by the USSR at a cost to its own national security. Another significant problem with the INF treaty was that other nuclear-armed nations were never party to it<\/strong> \u2013 including US allies France and the UK, as well as China.<\/p>\n
Itch for better INF deal? Trumps treaty withdrawal symptom destabilizes global order<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
US claims & accusations<\/h2>\n
Despite Moscows compliance with the deal, Washington \u2013 citing its classified intelligence \u2013 keeps claiming that Russia has been secretly developing intermediate-range missiles, in particular, those that can allegedly be fired from the tactical missile system Iskander-M, deployed along the countrys western borders.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: US accuses Russia of non-compliance while funding mid-range missile R&D<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Moscows concerns with Washingtons interpretation of INF<\/h2>\n
Russia has its own, rather clearly-defined issues with how the US interprets the treaty:<\/p>\n