NATO worries Russian missile system a breach

BRUSSELS — NATO said Friday that it is concerned about a Russian missile system that could carry nuclear warheads and that it says could violate a Cold War arms treaty.

The U.S.-led military alliance said in a statement that “allies have identified a Russian missile system that raises serious concerns.”

It urged Russia “to address these concerns in a substantial and transparent way, and actively engage in a technical dialogue with the United States.”

NATO fears the system contravenes the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The Cold War-era pact bans an entire class of weapons — all land-based missiles with a range between 310-3,410 miles.

The statement said a situation whereby the U.S. and other parties abided by the treaty but Russia did not “would be a grave and urgent concern.”

The concern centers on Russia’s 9M729 missiles. Washington has given evidence that Russia is developing the ground-fired cruise missile and said the system could give Moscow the ability to launch a nuclear strike in Europe with little or no notice.

U.S. envoy to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison described Russia’s behavior as “dangerous and destabilizing.”

“Our Allies reaffirmed that the U.S. is in compliance with our obligations under the INF Treaty and that Russia’s behavior raises serious concerns,” she said in a statement.

Russia has rejected the accusations, which had been leveled earlier by the U.S.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s arms control department, Mikhail Ulyanov, detailed Russia’s allegations Friday, claiming that U.S. missile defense facilities in Romania containing interceptor missiles could be modified to house ground-toground intermediate-range cruise missiles.

In remarks carried by the Interfax news agency, Ulyanov also claimed that U.S. launches of target vehicles as part of tests could also be seen as a violation.

The U.S. has rejected all the Russian claims.