The United States will suspend compliance with its Cold War nuclear weapons treaty with Russia and will formally withdraw in six months if Moscow does not end its alleged violation of the pact.

Key points: The US requested that Russia destroy its new missiles to comply with the treaty

The US requested that Russia destroy its new missiles to comply with the treaty But Russia said the missile's range was outside the 500-5,5000km range covered by the treaty

But Russia said the missile's range was outside the 500-5,5000km range covered by the treaty Experts believe a INF breakdown could undermine other agreements designed to limit nuclear weapons production

The Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty prevents the two superpowers from possessing, producing or test-flying ground-launched nuclear cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres.

"Russia has refused to take any steps to return [to] real and verifiable compliance," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said told reporters.

"We will provide Russia and the other treaty parties with formal notice that the United States is withdrawing from the INF treaty, effective in six months.

"If Russia does not return to full and verifiable compliance with the treaty within this six-month period by verifiably destroying its INF-violating missiles, their launchers, and associated equipment, the treaty will terminate."

Mr Pompeo said Russia has failed to uphold the treaty. ( AP: Andrew Harnik )

The US alleges a new Russian cruise missile violates the important pact, signed by former president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.

The missile, the Novator 9M729, is known as the SSC-8 by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Russia said the missile's range put it outside the treaty, and accused the US of inventing a false pretext to exit a treaty it wants to leave anyway so it can develop new missiles.

Russia also rejected the demand to destroy the new missile.

US President Donald Trump later said he wanted to hold further talks aimed at creating a new arms control treaty with Russia.

"I hope that we're able to get everybody in a big and beautiful room and do a new treaty that would be much better," Mr Trump said.

"Certainly, I would like to see that."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday the US had been unwilling to discuss the issue.

"The unwillingness of the Americans to listen to any arguments [and] the unwillingness of the Americans to hold any substantial talks with us indicates that the decision to scrap this treaty was made in Washington long ago," Mr Peskov said.

Some experts believe the collapse of the INF treaty could undermine other arms control agreements and speed an erosion of the global system designed to block the spread of nuclear arms.

European officials are especially worried about the treaty's possible collapse, fearful that Europe could again become an arena for nuclear-armed, intermediate-range missile build-ups by the US and Russia.

Mr Gorbachev (left) and Mr Reagan signed the INF treaty at the White House in 1987. ( Reuters: Dennis Paquin )

A few hours before Mr Pompeo's announcement, a statement from NATO said the alliance would "fully support" the US withdrawal notice, urging Russia to return to compliance within the six months.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would use the coming six months to attempt to revive talks on the INF Treaty.

"For us it is clear that Russia has violated this treaty. And that is why we must talk to Russia," Ms Merkel told reporters in Berlin.

She added that NATO would thoroughly asses potential implications of a US withdrawal and Germany would continue to try and "keep the conversation open".

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif chided the US for saying it may leave the treaty, tweeting that "any deal with US [Government] is not worth the ink".

US senator Bob Menendez, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accused Mr Trump failing to grasp the importance of arms control treaties or of having a wider strategy to control the spread of nuclear weapons.

"Today's withdrawal is yet another geo-strategic gift to Vladimir Putin," he said in a statement.

Reuters