The breakdown in negotiations between the rival nations could see nuclear-armed ballistic missiles deployed to Europe for the first time since the Cold War. Washington has long accused Moscow of flouting the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with its Novator 9M729 missile. But eleventh-hour talks aimed at forcing Russia back in line to save the pact have now fallen flat.
The breakdown in negotiations comes after NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia had made the use of nuclear weapons more likely with its violation of the INF.
The 1987 treaty was aimed at averting a potential nuclear war by prohibiting the US and Soviet Union from stationing short and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe.
The US insists that Russia is violating the INF with the 9M729, called the SSC-8 by NATO, because of its range.
But Russia denies that and says the weapon does not fall under those banned by the treaty.
Moscow claims Washington is using the missile as a false pretext to quit the treaty so the US can develop new weapons of its own.
In a bid to salvage the accord, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson held last-ditch talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in Beijing today.
But following their meeting on the sidelines of a P5 meeting of nuclear powers, the pair failed to reach an agreement.
Ms Thompson said she expected Washington to now stop complying with the treaty as soon as this weekend, a move she said would allow the US military to immediately begin developing its own longer-range missiles if it chose to do so, raising the prospect they could be deployed in Europe.
She said pulling out would then free the US to start developing new weapons of its own.
She said: “We are then also able to conduct the R&D and work on the systems we haven’t been able to use because we’ve been in compliance with the treaty.
“Come February 2, this weekend, if DoD (the U.S. Department of Defense) chooses to do that, they’ll be able to do that.”
Mr Ryabkov said Moscow would continue working to reach an agreement but accused Washington of playing games.
He was quoted by the Sputnik news agency as saying: “The United States imposed a 60-day period during which we had to fulfil their ultimatum.
“I conclude that the United States was not expecting any decision and all this was a game made to cover their domestic decision to withdraw from the INF Treaty.”
The Novator 9M729 can be fired from a mobile launcher and quickly transported by road meaning it is difficult to detect and hard to defend against.
Speaking to CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this month, NATO boss Mr Stoltenberg warned the Kremlin’s decision to develop the missile made the use of nuclear weapons more likely.
He said: “Russia is in violation of that treaty, they have developed and deployed new missiles which are mobile, hard-to-detect, short warning time, and they are therefore reducing the threshold for any use of nuclear weapons.
“So we call on Russia to come back in to verifiable, transparent compliance with that treaty, because this is really important for all of us.”