On March 6, 2019, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council clearly stated Ukraine’s position in support of the United States decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty).
In the context of the Russian violations of the INF Treaty, the Unites States has executed its right in accordance with Article XV, which allows the withdrawal from the Treaty in exercising of its national sovereignty if extraordinary events related to the subject matter of the Treaty have jeopardized its supreme national interests.
As far as the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has never ratified the mentioned Treaty, Ukraine has been fully implementing the INF, in fact on the voluntary basis. In this regard, a breach of the Treaty by the Russian Federation, as its full-fledged party, is especially outrageous.
The Order of the President of the Russian Federation of 4 March 2019 on the suspension of participation in the Treaty has proved once again that the cynicism is the key principle of the Russian state policy. The real reason of the breakdown of the Treaty is blatant and repeated violation of its provisions by the Russian Federation.
Ukraine together with the American partners condemned the development and testing by the Russian Federation of ballistic missile RS-26 «Rubezh» with range of nearly 2200 km, as well as extension of combat capabilities of Tactical Operational Missile Complex «Iskander-M», in particular through modernization of cruise missiles, which are its integral part. «Іskander-М» was identified during military exercises in the occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
The potential military pressure of the Russian Federation on European members of NATO due to the withdrawal from the Treaty, aimed at establishing total control by Moscow over the broader region from Baltic to the Mediterranean Sea, poses a serious threat to the whole European continent.
Ukraine retains the right to develop military weapons as necessary for defense capabilities of our country, including the relevant missile weapons.
