"Russia is following the provisions of the treaty and the American side knows this well," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said responding to earlier statements by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg regarding the INF treaty.
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated at a press conference in Brussels on December 4 that Russia should not miss its "last chance" to preserve the key arms control agreement between Moscow and Washington. Speaking at the same conference, Pompeo said that the US would suspend its adherence to the INF Treaty in 60 days unless Russia returns to full compliance with the agreement.
READ MORE: NATO to Prepare for Termination of INF Treaty — Stoltenberg
The US secretary of state also announced that the US would suspend its obligations under the arms treaty for 60 days until Russia "returns to full and verifiable compliance". He also said that the US would not produce, deploy, or test any missile that violates the treaty during this period.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump accused Russia of violating the INF treaty by building prohibited missiles and vowed to abandon it in the near future. Moscow denied Washington's accusations, saying it abides by the accord's provisions. Russia has called the US plans to withdraw from the INF dangerous, saying that it could draw "entire regions of the world into an arms race".
Previously, Russia has also accused the US of violating the INF treaty by deploying launchers capable of firing prohibited missiles in Europe, which is also prohibited by the INF.
The INF Treaty was signed by the Soviet Union and the United States in 1987, and prohibited either country from possessing, producing or testing ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 km.
