U.S. says Russia violated nuclear treaty

U.S. says Russia violated nuclear treaty, urges immediate talks

By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In another sign of deteriorating relations between the United States and Russia, the U.S. government said on Monday that Moscow had violated the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty, and urged immediate bilateral talks on the issue. "This is a very…

Reuters24 mins ago

U.S. says Russia violated nuclear treaty, urges immediate talks

By By Roberta Rampton 29 minutes ago

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By Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In another sign of deteriorating relations between the United States and Russia, the U.S. government said on Monday that Moscow had violated the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty, and urged immediate bilateral talks on the issue.

The Cold War treaty, ratified in 1988, 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.
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.
The official did not describe how Russia violated the treaty. But a senior State Department official told lawmakers on Capitol Hill in April that there were concerns Russia was not complying with the agreement.

Anita Friedt, principal deputy assistant secretary for nuclear and strategic policy, told the April hearing that the State Department had raised the concerns with Russia and briefed NATO allies.

The New York Times reported in January that Washington informed its NATO partners that Russia had tested a ground-launched cruise missile in a move it said raised serious concerns about Moscow's treaty compliance.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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U.S. says Russia violated nuclear treaty, urges immediate talks