Russia has violated a key arms control treaty by testing a nuclear cruise missile, the US

government says.

Russia tested a ground-launched cruise missile, breaking the Intermediate-Range Nuclear

Forces Treaty signed in 1987 during the Cold War, the US said.

A senior US official did not provide further details on the alleged breach, but described it as
"very serious".

The bilateral agreement banned medium-range missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500
km (300 to 3,400 miles).

Analysis: BBC world affairs correspondent Nick Childs

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was a landmark Cold War agreement. It
essentially eliminated an entire, and highly controversial, class of nuclear weapons. For that
reason, it still has resonance.

There have been questions dating back at least to 2008 over whether Russia was developing a
weapon that might breach the treaty. So one issue is why Washington has decided to make its
declaration now. Is it a reflection of the general deterioration in US-Russian relations, and in
particular the fallout from the Ukraine crisis?

Russia has said little. It might argue the Americans are simply wrong, that the missile falls
below the range limit. But the widespread suspicion is that it does breach the limits of the
treaty. Moscow might also argue the treaty has been overtaken by world events, that other
countries are developing similar missiles, and - after all - the Americans pulled out of the
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty when it suited them.

But there is also the argument that such an iconic treaty should actually be expanded beyond
the US and Russia, rather than falling into disuse.

The US claims come at a time of heightened tensions between the two sides, with the US
criticising Russia for its alleged involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

'Prohibited items'

A senior US official, who was not named, said in a statement that the testing of the missile
was "a very serious matter which we have attempted to address with Russia for some time
now".

"We encourage Russia to return to compliance with its obligations under the treaty and to
eliminate any prohibited items in a verifiable matter," the official added.