A senior US state department said on Thursday, the United States of America (USA) has offered to hold arm control talks with the Russian government during a United Nations meeting in Beijing going to be held next week, that certainly would include feud over Cold War-era pact.
Under Secretary of State, Andrea Thompson has reiterated that the US President Donald Trump’s administration will “suspend our obligations” under the disputed treaty if the Russian government fails to return to the compliance by February 2. She also said the move is “reversible” and that Washington has made no final decision over announcing full US withdrawal.
Thompson told reporters “I am not particularly optimistic” that Russia will return to compliance, according to Reuters news reports.
The dispute over the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty has scattered the US-Russia relations with rising tensions since the end of the Cold War in 1991. Some of the experts have expressed fears that its termination could cripple other arms control deals and speed up the erosion of the global system designed to cease the spread of nuclear arms.
Washington charges that Russia has violated the INF pact by deploying the ground-launched Novator 9M729 nuclear cruise missile. The weapon could exceed the treaty’s range limit of 500-5,000 km and also targets European allies.
Thompson said in order to return to compliance, it is must for Russia to destroy is missiles, whose three battalions have been deployed.
Though, Russia dismissed the US allegations and said the missile, designated the SSC-8 by NATO, complies the treaty. Russia accused the US of the invention a false pretext to exit an accord to develop its own new nuclear missiles.
Thompson said she held talks with Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov last week where they made no further steps towards resolving the dispute. However, she added that she has offered Ryabkov with discussion over arm control issues.
Thompson said, “I’ve told the deputy foreign minister if and when it’s appropriate and they have tangible next steps, that I’m willing to talk.” She added, “But to come to the table and hear the same storyline from the past five years isn’t a productive use of our time.”
On Wednesday, Thompson has declined the first unveiling of the Novator in Moscow for the diplomats and journalist by Russia as a proof that it complies with the INF treaty. She said, “A static display of a missile cannot tell you how far a missile flies.”
She said the US has “time after time after time” presented Russia with a data claiming that Russian missile flew more than that of treaty’s limit during one of its test conducted between 2008-2013. She said the US has also presented plans for the “verifiable” destruction of the missile system. Moscow has countered with its own unacceptable proposal for demonstrating the missile
On the Russian plan, Thompson said, “They would have controlled the environment”. She added, “When you go and select the missile and you select the fuel and you control all of those parameters, characteristics, you are controlling the outcome of the test.”