Moscow: The Russian diplomat on Thursday said that Moscow and Washington have made no progress in talks on saving a key arms control treaty with the US expected to begin withdrawal this weekend.

As per the reports, Russian and US officials had met on the sidelines of a meeting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in Beijing to discuss the fate of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF) – a source of raging tensions between Moscow and Washington.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said"Unfortunately, there is no progress,"  after talks with Andrea Thompson, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. The US has warned that it will begin a six-month withdrawal process from the treaty on February 2 unless Russia destroys its 9M729 ground-based missile system, which it says breaches the Cold War-era agreement.

As per the news agency, RIA Novosti Ryabkov called the US position "rather tough, ultimatum-like" and "destructive. Ryabkov said, "We have not made any progress. We state this not just with sorrow, but with deep concern for the fate of the treaty, for the fate of European and international security,"