After failed negotiations, the United States is to announce plans to stop compliance with a landmark nuclear pact with Russia.
This triggered an immediate six-month timer that could lead to its withdrawal from the arms control accord, US officials told Reuters.
However, Washington choose to remain in the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, under the condition that Russia complies with the 1987 arms control accord in that period.
The US claims that a new Russian missile violates the pact that bans either side from stationing short- and intermediate-range land-based missiles in Europe. The missile is the Novator 9M729 and is called the SSC-8 by NATO.
Russia denies these allegations, asserting that the missile's range puts it outside the treaty. It, in return, accused the US of creating a pretext to exit the treaty Washington wants to leave anyway so that it can develop new missiles.
A US demand to destroy the new missile was also rejected by Russia.
"We're going to announce suspension," a US official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Another official stated that the action by the US “is reversible if Russia comes back into compliance during the six-month US suspension. Then the US would unsuspend.”
This dispute is escalating the worst US-Russia frictions since the 1991 Cold War.
Experts believe the collapse of the treaty would put other arms control agreements on shaky grounds. This could adversely impact other countries’ treaties and chip into the foundations of the entire global system that is designed to block the spread of nuclear arms.
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