Dick Lugar

It seems to me to be really a safety net there.

There is precedent for using patient diplomacy to resolve treaty violations.

Yes, I believe New START meets this threshold with one exception.

In the likely event the INF Treaty collapses in August, the only remaining bilateral U.S.-Russia arms control agreement would be New START, which expires in 2021 but can be extended by up to five years through agreement by both parties.

The reasons for Russia's violation are unclear. But I believe the violation was likely due to a number of factors...

Congress could condition funding to develop new missiles on receipt from the administration of a comprehensive military, economic, and diplomatic strategy to bring Russia back into compliance with the treaty.

Congress has the ability to press the administration on its strategy to prevent a new Euro-missile race and increased instability in the absence of the INF Treaty.

Jettisoning treaties that provide a legal framework for exposing Russian violations achieves nothing.

That is a very dangerous attitude to take.

What we really need right now is a revival of NATO, a revival of the spirit of the allies...

The President has to want to get back into the discussions. At this point, there is not evidence that that is the case.

I believe that the verification provisions of New START are important, to begin with, leaving aside anything else.

Even if the INF Treaty finally falls by the wayside, something else is going to follow that is more comprehensive and of greater safety to more countries.

Well, in addition to the comments that have been made about better cohesion with our European allies, it seems to me we need to be thinking more about missile defense than about really the ways in which we negate the value of these…

I do share that problem very much.

Congress, via the power of the purse, also has the ability to prevent the administration from taking steps, such as testing and fielding new and unnecessary land-based intermediate-range missile systems.

We need to be indicating our leadership with regard to NATO, with regard to our European alliances.

There is really a desire for something to be out there.

Yes, I do share that problem very much.

Hungry people are desperate people and desperation can sow the seeds of radicalism.

The Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program has been a true success story and has made incredible contributions to U.S. national security in the last 20 years.

I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to serve with each one of you.

I join you in welcoming back Secretary Burns and Tom Nides, both who are good friends of the committee.

Diplomacy is not a luxury. It is essential to American national security, especially in an era of terrorism.