Mike Levin: “If the logic of condition 9 were extended to Ukraine, all those 35 treaties would be in limbo until we ratified the…”

“If the logic of condition 9 were extended to Ukraine, all those 35 treaties would be in limbo until we ratified the succession of the treaties. And this list of treaties is just one case of the 12 successor states to the former Soviet Union. Condition 9 could cast into doubt the effect of all of those treaties for all of those states. I think the aim here, while it is aimed at ABM, does not hit ABM because our ABM Treaty is not touched by this condition. Our treaty relative to ABM, with Russia, is not affected by condition 9. Condition 9 does not refer to Russia. It is the other states that it refers to. So our ABM Treaty with Russia is not affected. It is all the other treaties which are undermined, with all the other successor states. It is the arms control treaties and the nonarms control treaties which are put in jeopardy, left in limbo by the logic of this condition. So, while the aim is at the ABM Treaty, it misses that and, instead, hits treaties that I believe this body wants to be binding on the successor states to the Soviet Union.”