Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the United States has yet to provide any evidence Moscow is in breach of a landmark arms control treaty but Russia is ready to keep discussing the matter with Washington.
The United States delivered Russia a 60-day ultimatum on Tuesday to come clean about what Washington says is a violation of a 1987 nuclear arms control treaty, saying it would be forced to start a six-month process of withdrawal if nothing changed.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, told a briefing that the US embassy in Moscow had handed over a note on Tuesday evening saying Washington would quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty unless Russia began complying with it.
"These documents were received for further processing," said Zakharova.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) has given Russia 60 days to comply with the nuclear treaty. Source: AP
"In them once again there were groundless allegations about our alleged violation of this agreement. We have repeatedly said that this is conjecture. No proof (of our alleged violation) has been presented to us."
NATO allies led by Germany pressed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday to give diplomacy one last chance before Washington pulls out of the 1987 treaty, fearing a new arms race in Europe.
In turn, NATO foreign ministers agreed to formally declare Russia in "material breach" of the INF treaty in a statement in support of the US.
Russia denies undertaking any such development of land-based, intermediate-range Cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads and hitting European cities at short notice.
In October, President Donald Trump sparked global concern by declaring the United States would pull out of the treaty and build up America's nuclear stockpile. Source: AP
While NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there would now be an intense diplomatic push to try to convince Russia to give up what Pompeo said were "multiple battalions of the SSC-8 missiles", Washington is set to pull out in February.
"Its range makes it a direct menace to Europe," Pompeo said of the missiles, which also are called Novator 9M729, after a meeting with his NATO counterparts. He added that Russia's actions "greatly undermine America's national security and that of our allies".
Pompeo said the US government had raised the issue at least 30 times since 2013 with Moscow but had faced what he said were denials and counter-actions.
The INF treaty, negotiated by then-president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and ratified by the US Senate, eliminated the medium-range missile arsenals of the world's two biggest nuclear powers and reduced their ability to launch a nuclear strike at short notice.
Share
