The INF Treaty was guided by the objective of strengthening strategic stability, reducing the risk of outbreak of war and strengthening international peace and security.

According to the Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats (30 November, 2018) Russia had tested 9M729 to distances well over 500 Km from a fixed launched followed by tests from mobile launchers at ranges below 500 Km. At the NATO foreign ministers meeting on 04 December, the 9M729(SSC-8, Novato) mobile launched (9P701 TELr) GLCM with a range of 2,500 Km was concluded to be in material breach of the INF Treaty and operational since 2017. Though the R-500 Iskander вЂ“K is designed as a Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM), it was ground tested and existence of such a ground launch vehicle was thought to be in violation of the INF Treaty (Para 1 of Article VI). The RS-26 was twice tested at a distance of about 2000 km-launched from Kapustin Yar (Astrakhan region), targeting a test field at Sary-Shagan (Kazakhstan). Removal of one stage can potentially bring RS-26 range limits within in the purview of the INF Treaty (500-5,500 Km). Furthermore, US analyst remain in doubt about the exact Russian missile system in question and at times have misunderstood it to be the two stage (solid propellent) RS-26 Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) covered within the New START (2010). Since 2008, Russia has been testing a medium range cruise missile (R-500 Iskander вЂ“K) that is suspected to violate the provisions on range and launch vehicles of the INF Treaty (Article I, Para 1 of Article IV, Para 1 of Article VI, Para 1 of Article VII, Para 2 of Article VII, Para 4 of Article VII, and Para 11 of Article VII). ДЄn unclassified report prepared by the US Department of State (July, 2014) determined that the Russian Federation was in violation of its obligations under the INF Treaty not to possess, produce, or flight-test a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) with a range capability of 500 km to 5,500 km, or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles. Furthermore, Russia believes that the US had already violated the INF Treaty by deploying anti-missile systems (Romania) as the associated Aegis launchers can not only launch anti-ballistic missile but ballistic missile itself and the unmanned aerial combat vehicles (UCAV) tantamount as intermediate and short range missiles and hence tantamount to violation of INF Treaty. For Russia, its major concern stems from the termination of ABM Treaty and the US deployment of intermediate and short range missiles in Europe bringing back the situation as it existed in 1970вЂ™s and 80вЂ™s with the deployment of Pershing II missile. According to President Putin, the genesis of this strategic problem is not recent as the US congress had already approved the budget for research and development of intermediate and short range missiles and hence the US decision in this regard has already been made. Prior to the US temptation to withdraw from INF Treaty, Russia expressed such a desire to withdraw in 2006-07 citing concerns that the INF TreatyвЂ™s missile ban applies to Russia but not to neighboring countries.

After its coming into force on 01 June (1988), the INF Treaty succeeded in eliminating a total of 2,692 missiles.

The INF Treaty required destruction of (the PartiesвЂ™) ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges in between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, their launchers and associated support structures and support equipment within three years after the Treaty enters into force.

ДЄfter its unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty on 13 June, 2002, the United States (US) is now near certain to withdraw from INF Treaty along with plans to place Anti-Ballistic Missiles (ABM) in space and withdrawal from the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). Far away from the European Theater, Japan вЂ“ a crucial US security ally вЂ“ has called this move led by the United States (U.S.) вЂ“ shameful. Analysts remain unclear as to why this successful agreement is being revoked at this point in time and wondered the rationale behind this decision in the absence of an alternative agreement. The fate of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty according to the statement issued after a meeting amongst foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on 04 December is nearing its death after remaining crucial in upholding security and strategic stability in the Euro-Atlantic Theater for over 30 years.

The bear and the dragon review