US to pull out of 1987 nuke treaty

President Donald Trump said yesterday he will pull the United States from the IntermediateRange Nuclear Forces Treaty signed with the former Soviet Union, saying that Russia is violating the pact and it’s preventing the US from developing new weapons.

The 1987 pact, which helps protect the security of the US and its allies in Europe and the Far East, prohibits the United States and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying a groundlaunched cruise missile with a range of 500 to 5500 kilometres.

‘‘Russia has violated the agreement. They have been violating it for many years,’’ Trump said after a rally in Elko, Nevada. ‘‘And we’re not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we’re not allowed to.’’

The agreement has constrained the US from developing new weapons, but America will begin developing them unless Russia and China agree not to possess or develop the weapons, Trump said. China is not currently party to the pact.

‘‘We’ll have to develop those weapons, unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and say let’s really get smart and let’s none of us develop those weapons, but if Russia’s doing it and if China’s doing it, and we’re adhering to the agreement, that’s unacceptable,’’ he said.

National Security Adviser John Bolton was headed yesterday to Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. His first stop is Moscow, where he’ll meet with Russian leaders, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev. His visit comes at a time when Moscow Washington relations also remain frosty over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential race and upcoming US midterm elections.

There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin or the Russian Foreign Ministry on Trump’s announcement.

Trump didn’t provide details about violations, but in 2017, White House national security officials said Russia had deployed a cruise missile in violation of the treaty. Russia has repeatedly denied that it has violated the treaty and has accused the United States of not being in compliance.

Defence Secretary James Mattis has previously suggested that a Trump administration proposal to add a sea-launched cruise missile to America’s nuclear arsenal could provide the U.S. with leverage to try to convince Russia to come back in line on the arms treaty.