Accused each other of an arms race: what happened at a meeting of the UN Security Council on missile tests

An emergency meeting was convened at the UN Security Council, convened at the initiative of Russia and China in connection with the recent test of the US cruise missile with a conventional configuration. Broadcast from New York was carried on Online UN. According to Moscow and Beijing, Washington’s actions pose a threat to international security, writes “Radio Liberty«.

Фото: Depositphotos

The acting US Permanent Representative to the UN during the meeting also accused Russia of violating the terms of the treaty and developing missiles. Jonathan Cohen called on Moscow to clarify the circumstances of the incident that occurred 8 August near Severodvinsk. In addition, Cohen accused China of building missile capabilities.

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Liu Jie, China’s spokesman for the UN, said the treaty was important to curb the arms race. He called on the United States and Russia to dialogue and explained the negative consequences of Washington’s withdrawal from the treaty for international security. Liu Jie said the US allegations against China are unfounded.

Washington announced the August 19 cruise missile test. This was the first test after the United States withdrew from the treaty on intermediate and shorter-range missiles. The rocket flew over 500 kilometers and hit the target. Previously, the United States could not develop ground-based missiles ranging from 500 to 5 500 kilometers due to obligations under the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles concluded with the Soviet Union in 1987.

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2 August USA officially left from the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate and Shorter-Range Missiles, which they concluded with Russia. Washington’s claims, in particular, were caused by the Russian 9М729 missile with a flight range that “violates” the INF Treaty. Moscow also pointed out for violations by Washington. It was about the Mk-41 installations in Romania, from which missiles with a previously forbidden range could be launched. Newsweek indicates that the California-tested rocket was launched from the universal installation of the Mk-41.

What is the INF?

• The Treaty on Medium and Short Range Missiles, signed by the USA and the USSR in 1987, prohibited all complexes of nuclear and non-nuclear ground-based missiles with an average (1000-5500 km) and a smaller (500-1000 km) radius of action.
• The US was worried about the deployment of the SS-20 missile system, and in response, America deployed Pershing missiles and cruise missiles in Europe, triggering large-scale protest reactions.
• By 1991, about 2700 missiles were destroyed.
• In May, 2007, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, stated that "the treaty is no longer effective, since dozens of states have emerged that have such missiles." In the same year, Vladimir Putin declared the need to make the INF Treaty multilateral, but then the administration of Barack Obama showed no interest in the Moscow initiative.
• In 2002, the United States withdrew from the treaty on the limitation of missile defense systems.

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