WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States and Russia should have diplomatic discussions to solve their concerns regarding alleged violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces INF Treaty, Congressional Research Service Nuclear Weapons Policy Specialist Amy Woolf told Sputnik.
“The [US] administration has said it would like Russia to engage diplomatically and return to compliance with the Treaty,” Woolf said on Monday.
Russia previously stated it was open and ready to continue consultations with the United States as soon as Washington explains its accusations against Moscow about alleged INF Treaty violations.
“Then there should be a diplomatic dialogue on this,” Woolf stated.
Both the United States and Russia have levelled mutual accusations that each side has violated the INF Treaty.
The United States claims it has handed over all the needed information regarding its concerns. But in June 2015, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Washington has still not specified in what way Russia has allegedly breached the INF Treaty.
The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the US accusations, pointing to reported violations of the INF Treaty that the United States has done by placing missile defense launchers in Poland and Romania.
The INF Treaty, signed by the United States and the then Soviet Union in 1987, bans nuclear and conventional ground-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500-5,500 kilometres (300-3,400 miles).
