MOSCOW. Jan 22 (Interfax-AVN) - The United States' accusations of Russia over the 9M729 missile are groundless, Franz Klintsevich, a member of the Federation Council's Defense and Security Committee, told Interfax on Tuesday, adding that the missile will not be discarded.
"The U.S. has no legal grounds to demand that Russia liquidate this tactical missile," he said.
The 9M729, which is intended for the Iskander-M tactical missile system, does not violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Klintsevich said.
The INF Treaty bans the sides from producing, testing, and deploying shorter-range (500 to 1,000 kilometers) and intermediate-range (1,000 to 5,500 kilometers) ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles.
"The U.S.' claim that this missile may have a longer range is unsubstantiated. And what, we're supposed to up and destroy our tactical weapons just like that? The 9M729 missile fits within all of the INF Treaty's parameters," he said.