Trump Helps Putin

Moscow is using the possible end of the INF Treaty to portray itself in a more favorable light.

It didn’t take long after Donald Trump threatened to end the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty for the Russian government to exploit the situation for its own good. Moscow warned against ending the disarmament treaty and can thus almost portray itself as a peacemaker. At the same time, it can polish its tarnished image, battered due to the annexation of Crimea and the war in Syria. At the same time, the government of Vladimir Putin did not exactly shine in the fight over mid-range missiles.

Nevertheless, Moscow is not offering a way out of the controversy. That entails bringing the various actors to one table to negotiate the continuation and expansion of the INF Treaty. Naturally, it will not be easy to get the U.S., Russia, China and the EU nations together to discuss the controversial missiles. After all, there are very different interests involved. However, what they have in common is that they are all striving for security. Moreover, they could all save a lot of money if they were disarming instead of arming. Talking about it would be worthwhile.