Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, has told the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff that Moscow is committed to adhering to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Treaty after Washington accused Russia of violating the agreement.
The accusations from Washington have heightened tension between Russia and the U.S. at a time when ties between the two former Cold War foes have plunged relations to their lowest level since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.
"Gerasimov reaffirmed Russia's commitment to fulfilling the provisions of the treaty on intermediate-range rockets," Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Gerasimov as telling U.S. General Martin Dempsey in a telephone call on Thursday.
Washington says Russia has violated the treaty, ratified in 1988, which was designed to eliminate ground-launched cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 km (310 to 3,400 miles). The U.S. has called for senior-level talks to discuss Russia's compliance.
It was unclear whether Gerasimov's conversation with Dempsey was part of those talks.
Russia's Foreign Ministry denied the U.S. accusations as "unfounded" and said it had its own complaints against the U,S. over the treaty.
Washington has given no details over how in its view Russia violated the treaty, but the New York Times had reported in January that Washington informed its NATO partners that Russia had tested a ground-launched cruise missile.
See also:
Russia Shrugs Off U.S. Accusations of Nuclear Treaty Violation
Experts I.D. Russian Missile That U.S. Claims Breached Treaty