There are fears that Russia is progressing to produce a ground launched cruise missile that violates the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The INF treaty was signed in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev and was inherited by Russia. The treaty bans the two states from testing, manufacturing and possessing ground-launched ballistic or cruise missiles that are capable of flying 500 to 5,500 kilometres. The US has previously raised concerns of breaching the treaty in 2014, when Russia conducted flight tests of the missile. The US has proposed a meeting of the Special Verification Commission to solve the compliance issue, although there are fears that Russia will withdraw from the treaty.
