Russia hopes clarifications about 9M729 missile will help rescue INF Treaty - senior diplomat

KUBINKA /Moscow Region/, January 23. /TASS/. Russia hopes that explanations concerning the 9M729 cruise missile will give another chance to dialogue with the US on preserving the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said at a joint briefing conducted by the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday. "We expect that the objective technical data provided by us and the arguments that have been cited will lead to the intensification of the thought process in the US, which will help give another chance to a dialogue aimed at preserving the INF Treaty. For our part, we continue to be ready for such work. It should be done with the mandatory mutual consideration of both parties’ interests and concerns and without any counterproductive ultimatums," he said. "The treaty must be preserved. It is up to the American side to make the choice," Ryabkov stressed. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed by the Soviet Union and the United States on December 8, 1987, entered into force on June 1, 1988. The INF Treaty covered deployed and non-deployed ground-based short-range missiles (from 500 to 1,000 kilometers) and intermediate-range missiles (from 1,000 to 5,500 kilometers). On January 15, Russia and the US held inter-agency consultations on the INF Treaty in Geneva. Washington once again accused Moscow of breaching the arms control agreement. The US threatens to quit the treaty on February 2 unless Russia destroys its 9M729 missile, which allegedly violates the agreement. Moscow has stated on numerous occasions that the range of this missile does not exceed 480 km. Read more