Stephen Lendman

On Saturday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry called Washington’s Eastern European deployment a flagrant INF violation, saying:

“The United States has deployed Aegis Ashore anti-missile systems at its base in Romania, and plans…another such system in Poland.”

“(They) incorporate vertical launch systems similar to Mk-41 universal systems that are capable of launching intermediate-range (Tomahawk) cruise missiles…”

For over two decades, Washington repeatedly breached INF mandates, continuing missile tests prohibited by the treaty. It’s boosting production and use of unmanned offensive vehicles, falling under its definition of ground-based cruise missiles.

“Notably, we have been pointing (out US) violations of the INF Treaty for 15 years. But there is no constructive reaction,” said Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

“While implementing its anti-missile plans, the United States must be guided…by the generally recognized principle of inadmissibility of strengthening its own security at the expense of other states.”

“Notably, Washington has repeatedly reiterated this principle in corresponding international formats” - falsely accusing Moscow of INF violations, ignoring its own.

Treaties it agrees to are for other countries to observe, not itself. In 2001, The Bush/Cheney administration irresponsibly withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

It pursued hostile development and deployment of its anti-missile system for offense, not defense. It “wrecked the pillars of the global strategic stability system,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry stressed.

Washington’s deployment of its missile-defense system “has adversely impacted the system of international security, dramatically complicated relations not only in the Euro-Atlantic but also in the Asia-Pacific region and turned into one of the most serious obstacles on the path of further gradual nuclear disarmament as it creates dangerous opportunities for the resumption of the nuclear arms race.”

“(A)n anti-missile umbrella may give rise to a calamitous illusion of invincibility and impunity and hence tempt hotheads in Washington into new dangerous unilateral steps on global and regional problems in bypassing of the United Nations Security Council and contrary to common sense, like…on April 7 when the United States delivered a missile strike…Syria.”

Washington “demonstrates no readiness for cooperation and reckoning with Russia’s concerns. (It) refused to even discuss its own guarantees that missile-defense systems that are being deployed in Europe are not aimed against Russia.”

Despite implementation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Washington remains unwilling to change policy on provocative deployment of missile defense systems.

Worldwide anti-missile deployments “are part of a very dangerous global project aimed at securing US overall overwhelming superiority to the prejudice of security interests of other states,” increasing instability instead of abating it, Russia’s Foreign Ministry stressed.

Further, Washington flagrantly breached the Treaty on Convention in Europe by expanding NATO east to Russia’s border, especially after pledging not to do it.

Treaties and other agreements America signs aren’t worth the paper they’re written on, given how it promises one thing and does another, time and again - proving the worthlessness of dealing with whatever regime is in power.

Washington wants Russia marginalized, weakened, destabilized, contained, isolated and controlled, its sovereign independence destroyed, the nation transformed into another US vassal state - its resources plundered, its people exploited, even if it risks nuclear war to achieve its objectives.

America and its rogue allies represent humanity’s greatest threat.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at http://www.sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
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