US TO WITHDRAW FROM NUCLEAR ARMS CONTROL TREATY WITH RUSSIA
The demise of the 1987 Intermediaterange Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty raises fears of a new nuclear arms race, although U.S. officials discount the risk
The United States will pull out of a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, the Trump administration announced Friday, ending a cornerstone Cold War agreement on grounds that Russian violations render it moot.
The demise of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty raises fears of a new nuclear arms race, although U.S. officials discount the risk.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States is suspending participation in the agreement, starting a six-month countdown to a final U.S. withdrawal.in a statement, President Donald Trump said the onus is on Russia.
“The United States has fully adhered to the INF Treaty for more than 30 years, but we will not remain constrained by its terms while Russia misrepresents its actions,” Trump said. “We cannot be the only country in the world unilaterally bound by this treaty, or any other... “
Earlier Friday, the Kremlin said it expected official notification of the U.S. withdrawal within days. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday that Russia greets the news “with much regret.”
The Associated Press quoted Peskov as saying that Washington has been “unwilling to hold any substantial talks” with Moscow to save the treaty.
Arms control specialists said that without the treaty, the United States may move to position missile systems in Europe, while Russia could use the opportunity to base missile systems elsewhere.
-WASHINGTON