前苏联总理米哈伊尔·戈尔巴乔夫警告说，美国退出中程核力量条约有可能引发新一轮危险的军备竞赛和国际混乱。
88岁的戈尔巴乔夫是与美国总统罗纳德·里根签署1987年协议的苏联领导人。条约禁止射程从310英里到3417英里的地面发射核导弹和常规导弹，从冷战前线清除了大约2700枚此类武器。
美国指责俄罗斯发展违反协议的武器，特别是SSC-8/9M729巡航导弹。美国官员认为9M729的航程在310到620英里之间，这违反了协议。
今年早些时候，美国裁军大使罗伯特·伍德说这种既能携带常规弹头又能携带核弹头的武器代表了“强大而直接的威胁去欧洲和亚洲。"
美国国务卿麦克·庞贝周五证实，在俄罗斯错过了8月2日恢复遵约的最后期限后，美国现已退出中程核力量。俄罗斯否认了美国的指控，并暂停参与该条约。
对戈尔巴乔夫来说，唐纳德·特朗普总统的白宫在中程核力量问题上的强硬立场是在与灾难调情。他说:“条约的终止对国际社会几乎没有好处，这一举动不仅破坏了欧洲的安全，也破坏了整个世界的安全。”
“我们的合作伙伴仍然抱有一些希望，但不幸的是，这些希望没有实现，”他补充道。“我认为，现在我们都可以看到战略安全受到了打击……美国的这一举动将导致国际政治的不确定性和混乱发展。”
《中程核力量条约》可能是两项关键的反核扩散协议中的第一项，因为美国也暗示可能退出2011年的《新裁武条约》。
国家安全顾问约翰·博尔顿星期二说“有缺陷的”条约不太可能延长到2021年到期后。尽管特朗普表示，他希望与俄罗斯达成一项包括“某种军备控制”的协议，但与其他几项旨在解决复杂外交问题的拟议协议一样，他对细节并不敏感。
戈尔巴乔夫表示，所有相关各方现在都应该“专注于维护全球战略安全的最后一个支柱”，美国的政策使这一支柱的持续“不确定”。
AMERICA DITCHING INF NUCLEAR WEAPON TREATY COULD SPARK GLOBAL CHAOS, MIKHAIL GORBACHEV WARNS
Former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev has warned that by withdrawing from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the U.S. risks unleashing a dangerous new arms race and international chaos.
Gorbachev, 88, was the Soviet leader who inked the 1987 accord with U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The treaty banned ground-launch nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges from 310 miles to 3,417 miles, removing roughly 2,700 such weapons from the front lines of the Cold War.
The U.S. has accused Russia of developing weapons that contravene the agreement, specifically the SSC-8/9M729 cruise missile. U.S. officials believe the 9M729 has a range of between 310 and 620 miles, making it a breach of the agreement.
Earlier this year,U.S. Disarmament Ambassador Robert Wood said the weapon—which can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads—represented a "potent and direct threat to Europe and Asia."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Friday that the U.S. has now withdrawn from the INF, after Russia missed an August 2 deadline to return to compliance. Russia has dismissed the U.S. allegations and has also suspended its involvement in the treaty.
For Gorbachev, President Donald Trump's White House is flirting with disaster in its tough stance on the INF. "The termination of the treaty will hardly be beneficial for the international community, this move undermines security not only in Europe, but in the whole world," he told Interfax.
"There still were some hopes pinned on our partners, that, unfortunately, did not materialize," he added. "I think, now we all can see that a blow has been dealt to strategic security… This US move will cause uncertainty and chaotic development of international politics."
The INF Treaty could be the first of two key anti-nuclear proliferation agreements to collapse, as the U.S. has also signaled it may withdraw from the 2011 New START agreement.
National Security Advisor John Bolton said Tuesday that the "flawed" treaty is unlikely to be extended beyond 2021, when it expires. Though Trump has said he wishes to make a deal with Russia that would include "some kind of arms control," he has—as with several other proposed deals to address complex diplomatic issues—been light on the details.
Gorbachev said all parties involved should now "focus on the preservation of the last pillar of the global strategic security," the continuation of which has been made "uncertain" by U.S. policy.
