苏联领导人米哈伊尔·戈尔巴乔夫（Mikhail Gorbachev）和美国总统罗纳德·里根（Ronald Reagan）1987年12月8日在白宫签署《中导条约》，条约于1988年6月生效。(© Bettmann/Getty Images)
30年前，美国和当时的苏联达成《中程导弹条约》（Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty），旨在销毁将近3000枚中程和近程导弹，并按照严格的核实制度确保不再重新拥有这类导弹。
但是，自从2013年以来美国一直担忧，俄罗斯在违反条约（英文）发展一种新型移动式地基弹道导弹。
12月4日，美国正式宣布俄罗斯严重违约，并表示，除非俄罗斯重新做到完全和可核实地遵守条约，美国将在60天内暂停履行条约义务。
国务卿迈克·蓬佩奥（Mike Pompeo）在布鲁塞尔（Brussels）结束与北约（NATO）部长的一次会议后说，“俄罗斯的行动极其严重有损于美国国家安全和我们盟国和伙伴的安全”，并且威胁到驻扎在欧洲的数万美国部队和那里的数百万美国人以及“数量更多得多的与他们一道生活和工作”的欧洲人。
尽管美国曾30多次向俄罗斯政府各级官员提出这一问题，但俄罗斯四年来一直否认拥有这种导弹。
2017年11月美国揭露，俄罗斯导弹的名称是9M729。俄罗斯副外长谢尔盖·里亚布科夫（Sergey Ryabkov）承认了它的存在，但否认它具备《中导条约》所禁止的在500到5500公里范围内击中目标的能力。
北约外长在12月4日会议后发表声明，支持美国的立场：“我们坚决支持美国关于俄罗斯严重违反《中导条约》义务的结论。”
北约29国部长表示，五年来他们在双边和多边场合提出过这些关注，但俄罗斯的反应只是“否认和混淆”。
北约外长说，“我们呼吁俄罗斯紧急回到完全和可核实地遵守条约上来”。这表明，挽救条约的责任在于俄罗斯。
蓬佩奥表示，他希望美俄两国有更好的关系，但是他说，“这个责任在于俄罗斯要作出必要的改变。只有他们能挽救这个条约。”
Thirty years ago the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) to destroy nearly 3,000 intermediate-range and short-range missiles and follow a strict verification regime to ensure they never returned again.
However, the U.S. has been raising alarms since 2013 that the Russians have developed a new, mobile, ground-launched cruise missile that violates the treaty.
On December 4, the U.S. formally declared Russia in material breach of the treaty and said the U.S. would suspend its obligations in 60 days unless Russia returned to full and verifiable compliance.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking in Brussels after a meeting with NATO ministers, said, “Russia’s actions gravely undermine American national security and that of our allies and partners,” and they put in danger the lives of tens of thousands of American troops in Europe and the millions of Americans living and working “alongside many more millions of Europeans.”
The Russians for four years denied they had such a missile while the United States raised the issue more than 30 times with Russian counterparts at all levels of government.
In November 2017 the United States revealed the Russians’ name for the missile, the 9M729. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov acknowledged its existence but denied it was capable of being launched to hit targets between 500 and 5,500 kilometers away, the INF-forbidden range.
After the NATO foreign ministers’ December 4 meeting, NATO foreign ministers issued a statement backing the U.S. position: “We strongly support the finding of the United States that Russia is in material breach of its obligations under the INF Treaty.”
The ministers of the 29-nation alliance said they had raised these concerns bilaterally and multilaterally for five years, and Russia has responded only with “denials and obfuscation.”
“We call on Russia to return urgently to full and verifiable compliance,” the ministers said, making clear the responsibility for saving the treaty lies with Russia.
Pompeo expressed hope for improved relations between the U.S. and Russia, but added, “the burden falls on Russia to make the necessary changes. Only they can save this treaty.”
