Beijing: Pentagon's statements prove US started developing INF-banned missiles before leaving deal

Beijing: Pentagon
# 13 December 2019 13:41 (UTC +04:00)

The Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed on Friday US claims that Russia had violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), APA reports citing Sputnik.

The day before, US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper praised the successful test of the INF-banned ground-based missile, noting that it had taken less than nine months, instead of the usual two years, to go from concept to launch.

The INF accord, signed between the US and Russia in 1987, was terminated on 2 August at the initiative of the Trump administration, after Washington formally suspended its INF obligations six months earlier.

Both countries have repeatedly accused each other of violating the deal which banned any ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometres (310 to 3,417 miles).

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THE OPERATION IS BEING PERFORMED