A Trump administration official says US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia has deployed a cruise missile in violation of a cold war-era arms control treaty.
The alleged violation complicates the outlook for US-Russia relations amid turmoil on Donald Trump’s national security team.
The Obama administration three years ago accused the Russians of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by developing and testing the cruise missile. Officials had anticipated that Moscow eventually would deploy it.
Russia denies it violated the INF Treaty. An administration official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly said intelligence agencies assessed that the missile became operational late last year.
The missile deployment was first reported by the New York Times.
The incident comes as it emerged that multiple Russian military aircraft came close to a US Navy destroyer in the Black Sea on 10 February, incidents considered “unsafe and unprofessional,” a US official said on Tuesday.
The Russian Defense Ministry said no such incidents had occurred. But Captain Danny Hernandez, a spokesman for US European Command, cited three separate incidents involving Russian aircraft and the USS Porter.
“Such incidents are concerning because they can result in accident or miscalculation,” he said.
