Pompeo expected to announce US suspension of INF treaty on Friday - CNN

The suspension raises concerns about a renewed arms race with Moscow and is putting European allies on edge.

President Donald Trump and his senior officials have been signaling for months that they are ready to pull out of the INF Treaty, which the US and Europe accuse Moscow of violating since 2014.

The suspension starts a 180-day clock to complete withdrawal unless Russia returns to compliance with the 1987 agreement.

The ground-based nuclear-tipped cruise missiles covered by the bilateral treaty can fly between 310 to 3,100 miles, making them a threat to Europe, where officials are urging the US and Russia to continue talks, even as they consider their next steps and admit having little to no optimism that the treaty can be saved.

Earlier this month, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson said Russia had until Feb. 2 to comply, and if they're not in compliance, the US will suspend its obligations to the treaty.

On Thursday, Thompson met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov in Beijing and Ryabkov said "there was no progress" in the talks on the issue, according to Russian state media outlet TASS.

"Unfortunately, there is no progress. The US position remains rather tough and ultimatum-like," Ryabkov said, according to TASS.

"We told the US side that it is impossible to hold dialogue in the conditions of attempted blackmailing of Russia," he added.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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