German FM on Crimea crisis and INF treaty
276 views · Published 11 December 2018 · 2:07 · Indexed 17 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(6 Dec 2018) Germany's foreign minister Heiko Maas on Thursday said that he had spoken to his Russian counterpart about accusations of the violation of a key arms treaty. Maas said that a break down of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) would be of "no advantage for any side" and "not serve security in Europe." Maas said that there was a "clear" decision within NATO for a 60-day deadline that will allow Russia to "eliminate the accusations which are in the world and which we see as justified." The U.S. has shared intelligence evidence with its NATO allies that it says shows that Russia's new SSC-8 ground-fired cruise missile could give Moscow the ability to launch a nuclear strike in Europe with little or no notice. Russia has denied the accusations. When signed in 1987, the INF treaty was lauded as a major safeguard for global security since they eliminated shorter-range missiles that take just a few minutes to reach their targets. The removal of such destabilizing weapons would in theory allow more time for decision-making in case of a warning of a missile attack. Speaking at the OSCE ministerial meeting in the Italian city of Milan, Maas also commented on mounting tensions between the Ukraine and Russia. The long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine that started with Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 spilled into the open on Nov. 25 when the Russian coast guard fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews. The seamen are still in Russian captivity. Maas called for the release and safe return of the 24 Ukrainian sailors, and supported the idea to install the OSCE as the agency to monitor the situation in the Kerch Strait. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/032819472d2f1e6e7d101a07e4113c4a
