To focus attention on the issue, the United States has called for a rare meeting of the Special Verification Commission, a body that was established by the I.N.F. treaty to deal with compliance.

Russia inherited the treaty obligations of the Soviet Union. Other former Soviet states that also are a party to the treaty — Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan — will also send representatives to the meeting of the commission, its first since 2003.

The arms control dispute comes against the background of steadily deteriorating relations, which are already strained over Russian airstrikes on Aleppo, Syria, as well as its seizure of portions of Ukraine. A range of American officials also have accused Russia of meddling in the presidential election by hacking into the email accounts of Democratic Party figures.

But the arms control issues are important in their own right. The I.N.F. treaty is regarded as one of the accords that brought an end to the Cold War. The question of Russian compliance threatens to tarnish the White House’s arms control legacy and President Obama’s vision of a world in which there would be fewer nuclear weapons.

Since the I.N.F. treaty was signed, some Russian officials appear to have had buyer’s remorse, arguing that Moscow needs more ways to respond to the potential array of threats around its periphery. During the George W. Bush administration, Russia’s defense minister suggested that the two sides drop the treaty.

The Obama administration says that the treaty is in the overall interest of the United States even if some of its provisions are being violated. When the United States charged Russia with violating the accord two years ago, Mr. Obama sent a letter to President Vladimir V. Putin stressing his interest in a high-level dialogue to preserve the treaty and bring the Kremlin back into compliance.