NATO chief says time short for Russia to respect INF treaty

BRUSSELS (AP) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says time is running out for Russia to comply with a Cold War-era missile treaty, as the U.S. readies to pull out of the pact.

Washington says Russia’s new 9M729 missile system contravenes the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The pact between Russia and the U.S. bans all land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310-3,410 miles).

Stoltenberg said Monday: “We all know that the time is running out, that this is not tenable, that we have an arms control agreement that is only respected by one party.”

Stoltenberg said on the eve of a meeting of allied foreign ministers that “NATO allies call on Russia to ensure full compliance with the INF treaty in a verifiable and transparent way.”