MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry offered to provide the United States with information about the 9M729 missile behind closed doors before the 23 January briefing but received no answer, Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday.
"I would like to point out that during bilateral consultations that preceded the briefing, we offered to provide US representatives with information about the 9M729 missile behind closed doors in order to remove their grievances and keep the INF Treaty in place. However, the Russian offer remained unanswered," he said.
INF: from inception to suspension
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, signed by the Soviet Union and the United States on December 8, 1987, took effect on June 1, 1988. It applies to deployed and non-deployed ground-based missiles of intermediate range (1,000-5,000 kilometers) and shorter range (500-1,000 kilometers). Washington on many occasions had accused Russia of violating the accord, but Moscow vehemently dismissed all accusations and, in its turn, expressed grievances over Washington’s non-compliance.
On February 1, US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced the suspension of Washington’s obligations under the INF starting February 2. Washington is determined to withdraw from the treaty in six months unless Russia returns to "real and verifiable" compliance.
On February 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was also suspending the agreement. He handed down instructions to refrain from initiating talks with Washington on the issue and stressed that the US needed to show willingness for an equal and substantive dialogue.