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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Russia 'violated 1987 nuclear missile treaty', says US | Russia 'violated 1987 nuclear missile treaty', says US |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Russia has violated a key arms control treaty by testing a nuclear cruise missile, the US government says. | Russia has violated a key arms control treaty by testing a nuclear cruise missile, the US government says. |
| Russia tested a ground-launched cruise missile, breaking the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed in 1987 during the Cold War, the US said. | Russia tested a ground-launched cruise missile, breaking the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed in 1987 during the Cold War, the US said. |
| A senior US official did not provide further details on the alleged breach, but described it as "very serious". | A senior US official did not provide further details on the alleged breach, but described it as "very serious". |
| The bilateral agreement banned medium-range missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km (300 to 3,400 miles). | The bilateral agreement banned medium-range missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km (300 to 3,400 miles). |
| The US claims come at a time of heightened tensions between the two sides, with the US criticising Russia for its alleged involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. | The US claims come at a time of heightened tensions between the two sides, with the US criticising Russia for its alleged involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. |
| 'Prohibited items' | 'Prohibited items' |
| A senior US official, who was not named, said in a statement that the testing of the missile was "a very serious matter which we have attempted to address with Russia for some time now". | A senior US official, who was not named, said in a statement that the testing of the missile was "a very serious matter which we have attempted to address with Russia for some time now". |
| "We encourage Russia to return to compliance with its obligations under the treaty and to eliminate any prohibited items in a verifiable matter," the official added. | "We encourage Russia to return to compliance with its obligations under the treaty and to eliminate any prohibited items in a verifiable matter," the official added. |
| US President Barack Obama has written to Russian leader Vladimir Putin over the matter, officials say. | US President Barack Obama has written to Russian leader Vladimir Putin over the matter, officials say. |
| This is the first time the US government has made its accusations public, though the issue has simmered for years, the BBC's Paul Blake in Washington reports. | This is the first time the US government has made its accusations public, though the issue has simmered for years, the BBC's Paul Blake in Washington reports. |
| In January, the New York Times reported that US officials believed Russia had begun testing ground-launched cruise missiles as early as 2008. | |
| The US State Department had said at the time that the issue was under review. | The US State Department had said at the time that the issue was under review. |
| The 1987 treaty is at the heart of American-Russian arms control efforts, and was signed by then-Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in the final years of the Cold War, our correspondent says. | The 1987 treaty is at the heart of American-Russian arms control efforts, and was signed by then-Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in the final years of the Cold War, our correspondent says. |