MOSCOW, July 30 (RIA Novosti) - The United States released Wednesday a report accusing Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) by testing a prohibited ground-launched cruise missile.
“The United States has determined that the Russian Federation is in violation of its obligations under the INF Treaty not to possess, produce, or flight-test a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) with a range capability of 500 km to 5,500 km, or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles,” the report published on the State Department’s website said.
Earlier, it was reported that US President Barack Obama conveyed his findings to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a letter. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said late Tuesday that the US attempted to raise the concern “with the Russians on a number of occasions through our standard diplomatic channels.”
The United States’ determination, according to Earnest, comes from intelligence analysis and because Washington has been reviewing the issue for quite some time.
However, the report presents no precise findings.
In 1987, the Reagan administration concluded the INF Treaty with the Soviet Union. It prohibits the development, testing, possession and deployment of INF-range (310 to 3,420 miles) ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles.
The treaty has often been lauded as an example of successful arms control because it eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons.
