WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s accusation that Russia violated a key nuclear weapons treaty leaves the future of the 26-year-old accord in question and further dampens President Barack Obama’s hopes to burnish his legacy with deeper cuts to nuclear arsenals.
The State Department’s annual report on international compliance of arms control agreements released Tuesday said the U.S. had determined that Russia is in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that President Ronald Reagan signed with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.
The treaty says the U.S. and Russia cannot possess, produce or test-flight a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles. Possessing or producing launchers for this type of missile also is banned under the treaty, which helps protect the the U.S. and its allies in Europe and the Far East.
The administration has not said where and when the alleged violation occurred, but a Russian official said the concerns date to 2009. The administration, which said it is prepared to discuss the issue with senior Russian officials, raised its concerns about the treaty with Moscow last year.
