US Says Russia Launched A Cruise Missile In Violation Of Cold War Missile Treaty

In another sign of deteriorating relations between the United States and Russia, theU.S. government said on Monday that Moscow had violated the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty, and urged immediate bilateral talks on the issue.

The Cold War treaty, ratified in 1988, was designed to eliminate ground-launched cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 km (310 to 3,400 miles).

Senior American officials told The New York Times that Russia tested a prohibited ground-launched cruise missile. NYT reported in January that Washington informed its NATO partners that Russia had tested a ground-launched cruise missile.

"This is a very serious matter which we have attempted to address with Russia for some time now," an administration official said in a statement.

"We encourage Russia to return to compliance with its obligations under the treaty and to eliminate any prohibited items in a verifiable manner," the official said.

The United States notified Russia of its determination and called for senior-level talks "with the aim of assuring the United States that Russia will come back into compliance" with the treaty.

"The United States will, of course, consult with allies on this matter to take into account the impact of this Russian violation on our collective security if Russia does not return to compliance," the official said.

Anita Friedt, principal deputy assistant secretary for nuclear and strategic policy, told the April hearing that the State Department had raised the concerns with Russia and briefed NATO allies.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Peter Cooney)