Russian Defense Ministry officials display the country's 9M729 cruise missile at the Patriot Park military facility outside Moscow on Jan. 23. According to the Kremlin, the missile does not violate the INF Treaty -- in contrast to U.S. accusations.
What Happened : The Russian military presented its 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile — the weapon at the center of a dispute between Moscow and Washington — to a crowd of Russian and foreign officials on Jan. 23. With the show and tell, the Kremlin is aiming to demonstrate that the missile is not, as the United States has claimed, in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty . (VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images) Russian officials said the 9M729 cruise missile, also known as the SSC-8, has a range of just 500 kilometers, which is within the restrictions imposed by the INF Treaty. Why it Matters : Russia made the presentation of the 9M729 after the country's negotiators offered to provide the United States with more details as to why the missile did not infringe upon the INF Treaty, only for the United States to politely decline.
