The Russian military on Wednesday rolled out its new missile and spelled out its specifications, seeking to dispel the U.S. claim that the weapon violates a key nuclear arms pact.
The military insisted that the 9M729 land-based cruise missile conforms to the limits of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
The U.S. has announced its intention to abandon the INF, charging that the new Russian missile violates provisions of the pact that ban production, testing and deployment of land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres.
Washington said it will suspend its treaty obligations if Russian does not come into compliance by February 2.
Lt. Gen. Mikhail Matveevsky, the chief of the military's missile and artillery forces, said at a meeting with foreign military attaches that the new missile has a maximum range of 480 kilometres.
He said that the 9M729 missile differs from the previous 9M728 model by having a modified warhead and guidance system that enhances its capability.
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The military then displayed the weapon along with its mobile launcher during a presentation at its exhibition center near Moscow.
Matveevsky insisted that the new missile's booster, cruising engine and fuel tank remain unchanged.
He added that the new missile actually has a range 10 kilometres less than the older type due to heavier warhead and control systems.
Matveevsky emphasised that the new missile can't be modified in field conditions.
The Russian general said that the modified mobile launcher for the new type of missile is bigger because it carries four of them rather than the previous two.
Matveevsky added that the military gave the presentation to underline its "increased transparency and our adherence to the INF Treaty."
Kremlin has staunchly denied the U.S. claim of Russian violations of the pact.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted Wednesday that the U.S. hasn't put forward any data to prove its claim that Russia has tested the missile at a range exceeding the treaty's limit.
He said the U.S. ignored Moscow's offer to inspect the missile made during talks in Geneva earlier this month a refusal he alleged reflected the lack of U.S. interest in meaningful negotiations.
He said the U.S. has made it clear during diplomatic contacts that President Donald Trump's decision to abandon the pact is final and not subject to talks.
U.S. Undersecretary of State Andrea Thompson, who led the American side in the talks, has said that Moscow's offer is inadequate.
"To see the missile does not confirm the distance that missile can travel, and at the end of the day that's the violation of the treaty," she told reporters last week.
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