The U.S. government said on Monday that Moscow had violated the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty which was signed during the Cold War and ratified in 1988; calls for immediate bilateral talks on the issue.
The treaty was designed to eliminate ground-launched cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 km (310 to 3,400 miles).
“This is a very serious matter which we have attempted to address with Russia for some time now,” an administration official said in a statement.
“We encourage Russia to return to compliance with its obligations under the treaty and to eliminate any prohibited items in a verifiable manner,” the official said.
How Russia violated the treaty was not described. But New York Times had reported in January that Washington informed its NATO partners that Russia had tested a ground-launched cruise missile.
The United States notified Russia of its determination and called for senior-level talks “with the aim of assuring the United States that Russia will come back into compliance” with the treaty. “The United States will, of course, consult with allies on this matter to take into account the impact of this Russian violation on our collective security if Russia does not return to compliance,” the official said.