Bush Bullying, Putin Not Buying
We will dump nuclear treaty, Putin warns
· Missiles deal 'must cover China and India' · Threat issued at talks with Rice and Gates Luke Harding in Moscow Saturday October 13, 2007 The Guardian Vladimir Putin warned yesterday that Russia was considering withdrawing from a major cold war arms treaty banning intermediate nuclear missiles unless it was expanded to include other states.
President Putin said that Moscow was planning to dump the intermediate range nuclear forces treaty (INF) - signed in a landmark deal between the US and Soviet Union in 1987 - unless countries such as China were included in its provisions.
. . . "We hope that in the process of such complex and multifaceted talks you will not be forcing forward your relations with the eastern European countries," he said.
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Well, good luck with that, Vladimir. Europe has never liked the idea of the United States dropping missiles headed toward the US into the farmlands and cities of France and Germany. I can't speak for Poland, but the Czech Republic is overwhelmingly against the radar sites on its soil.
The sites may be moot. Congress, if it ever gets its pants back up above its knees, may refuse to finance the installations.
Meanwhile, to put this in perspective, how would we feel if Russia installed the same kind of hardware in Canada and Mexico?
Another Bush mis-adventure Condi Rice tries to put a good face on.
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