Russia-US talks on reviving INF fails
(VOVWORLD) - The US-Russia negotiations on reviving the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) failed in Switzerland on Tuesday, as both sides continued slashing each other.
 Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov (Photo: EPA/VNA) |
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said "responsibility fully and completely rests with the American side." He added that the parties fail to agree on anything and Washington did not appear to be in the mood for more negotiations. US Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson said that Russia continues to violate the treaty in a substantial way and underscored the US’s stance that Russia must destroy its missile system that violate the INF.
The treaty was signed by leaders of the US and the Soviet Union in 1987 and took effect one year later. Under the INF, both sides commit not to produce, test, and deploy short-range and intermediate-range ballistic and cruise missiles (from 500 to 5,500 kilometers).