Article Posted on : - Feb 20, 2010

A file photo

MOSCOW (Itar-Tass): Russia and the United States will be able to develop and manufacture new missiles again in two to four years' time if they achieve mutual agreement to terminate the operation of the treaty that decades ago eliminated their intermediate and shorter range missiles, an analyst said.

An adviser to the commander of Russia's Strategic Missile Force, former chief of the Strategic Missile Force General Staff, Colonel-General Viktor Yesin, told Itar-Tass on Thursday that in the wake of reports Russia and the United States might raise the theme of the INF treaty's future, once they have signed a new strategic arms reduction treaty (START).

On February 17 a reliable military-diplomatic source in Moscow told Itar-Tass, "Russia and the United States plan to get back to the question of preserving or terminating the treaty to eliminate medium and shorter range missiles after they have signed a new strategic arms reduction treaty."

In his opinion, "preserving this bilateral treaty that outlawed medium- and shorter-range missiles will make no sense at a time when many countries are developing and building up this type of armaments," the source said. "If the other countries refuse to join in, the Russian-American Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) treaty may be terminated."

General Yesin believes that since both Russia and the United States can create new inter-continental ballistic missiles, they surely have the potential to develop and manufacture shorter-range missiles.