Neither the United States nor Russia wants to restart the nuclear arms race, that�s why both Washington and Moscow will stick to the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), Russian political scientist Sergei Mikhailov told Radio Sputnik.

According to�Mikhailov, we can all relax and take a deep breath now, as�the United States and Moscow aren't going to�nuke each other off�the face of�the earth.

"I think that in�the short term, the agreement [INF] will remain in�full force, because right now it is beneficial both for�Russia and the United States," the expert said.

Mikhailov said that the ongoing accusations coming from�both countries against�each other come amid�the overall deterioration of�relations between�the two countries. The United States first claimed that Russia violated the treaty in�2008, but�real accusations didn't start until�2013, when the political relationship between�the two countries began.

Therefore, the issue here isn't merely about�the actual arms race, but�the diplomatic element of�a broader political confrontation between�Washington and Moscow, Mikhailov explained.

The US side can't clearly formulate their accusations. Within the US government itself different administrative bodies can't even agree among�themselves just what exactly Russia is doing wrong and how it's violating the INF treaty. In other words, a lot of�hearsay, but�no concrete evidence, Mikhailov said.

Both the United States and Russia have levelled mutual accusations that each side has violated the INF Treaty.

The INF Treaty, signed by�the United States and the then Soviet Union in�1987, bans nuclear and conventional ground-based cruise and ballistic missiles with�a range of�500-5,500 kilometers (300-3,400 miles).

By Sputnik News