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Russian Foreign Ministry says US has not responded to all Moscow's concerns on INF Treaty

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that "American representatives’ statements that the US allegedly responded to Russia’s claims in detail are not true"
The Russian Foreign Ministry building in Moscow Valery Sharifulin/TASS
The Russian Foreign Ministry building in Moscow
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. Washington’s assertions that the United States has answered all Moscow’s questions on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty are not true, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

"American representatives’ statements that the US allegedly responded to Russia’s claims in detail are not true," the foreign ministry said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Washington used dishonest interpretations and outright speculations to justify its decision to withdraw from the agreement. "In addition to unscrupulous attempts to shift responsibility to Russia, the significance and validity of many years of Russia’s concerns regarding compliance with the agreement by Washington itself are deliberately downplayed. What’s more, false reports on the development and content of the dialogue on counter-claims appear," the ministry emphasized.

The Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that Moscow had raised the issue of US target missiles developed in violation of the INF Treaty since 1999 and strike drones — since the early 2000s. On the other hand, Washington began advancing claims regarding compliance with the accord to Moscow in 2013. "For many years, Russia has shown maximum patience trying to persuade the US to eliminate the obvious violations of the INF Treaty giving well-founded reasons and technically sound arguments, but Washington just ignored them," the ministry said.