Report Slams Obama Administration for Doing Nothing to Punish Russian Violation of INF Treaty

freebeacon.com20 minutes ago

The Obama administration is doing nothing to punish Russia for violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a move by the U.S. that could grant an “unfair competitive advantage” to Vladimir Putin’s country, according to a report from the Heritage Foundation.

Strategic policy expert Michaela Dodge blasted President Obama and the State Department in the report for its inaction against Russia for disobeying the 1987 INF Treaty borne out of the Cold War, despite having accused Moscow of violating it in 2014.

Dodge writes:

In order to increase the prospects of bringing Russia back into compliance with the INF Treaty, the United States has a range of options. Most important, since Russian violations are occurring in a complex international context, Washington’s responses must entail more than unproductive meetings in cozy hotels in Geneva, and more than talking about Russian violations without doing anything about them.

The President, the State Department, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff raised the INF violations with their Russian counterparts to no avail. The Administration did not properly communicate deadlines to Russia for coming back into compliance with the treaty, and has failed to hold Russia accountable.

As a consequence, Russian violations have gone unreported and unpunished for years. … The President must exercise leadership and recognize that his benevolent approach to Russia has emboldened Russia’s aggression rather than encouraging a more constructive relationship.