United States gives loose interpretation to INF Treaty, baselessly accuses Russia of its breach - Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. Dec 8 (Interfax) - The United States loosely interprets the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) and baselessly accuses Russia of violating it, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday in a statement on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the INF Treaty.
"Russia has been firmly committed to the INF Treaty and strictly complied with it over these three decades," the statement said.
"We insist that the same be done by the U.S., which rather loosely interprets obligations whenever they hinder the development of its crucial weapons while continuing to make baseless allegations that we are violating this deal," the statement said.
"We reiterate once again that we will remain committed to every provision of the INF Treaty as long as our partners do so. We are ready to establish a depoliticized and professional dialogue with the U.S. on the essence of the problems amassed in this area," the statement said.
"However, we cannot accept their attempts to speak the language of ultimatums and put military, political, and sanctions pressure on Russia, of which Washington is speaking so excitedly," the statement said.
The ministry noted "the importance of combining [our] efforts with the United States' to keep the treaty viable."
The ministry expressed disappointment that "Russia's initiative put forward in 2007 to make the INF Treaty universal was never implemented."
"This could have helped avoid the escalation of problems and negative trends in the field of missile proliferation," the statement said.