MOSCOW, August 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russian and US experts will meet in September to discuss a bilateral agreement on mid- and short-range missiles, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti Thursday.
“A meeting will be held on the expert level. This will be consultations on mutual concerns,” the source said in reference to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
Washington earlier accused Moscow of “breaching its INF obligations of not testing, producing or developing cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.” The Russian Foreign Ministry said the accusations are unfounded and that the United States has not released any evidence of Russia breaching the agreement.
The Russian authorities have expressed their own complaints about US compliance with the treaty in light of Washington’s plans to deploy Mark 41 Vertical Launching Systems to Poland and Romania.
Last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed the necessity of more meetings and open lines of communication on the treaty.
The INF Treaty was signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987 to prevent the use of nuclear and conventional missiles with an intermediate range, defined as 500 to 5,000 kilometers (310 to 3,100 miles).
