US withdraws from key nuclear weapons agreement with Russia

PRESIDENT Donald Trump last night announced the US withdrawal from a landmark nuclear weapons treaty, blaming Russian violations.

Mr Trump said he was leaving the IntermediateRange Nuclear Forces Treaty because he was not prepared to let Russia ‘do weapons and we’re not allowed to’.

The 1987 pact bans the US and Russia from possessing, producing or testing groundlaunched cruise missiles with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles.

But Mr Trump said: ‘Russia has violated the agreement. They have been violating it for many years.’

The US has accused Russia of creating a new mediumrange missile called the Novator 9M729 which would allow it to strike Nato countries at short notice.

The Russians deny it breaches the 1987 deal, but Mr Trump last night said that unless Russia and China – which is not currently party to the pact – agree to neither possess nor develop such weapons, America will begin building them itself. ‘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,”’ he said.

‘But if Russia’s doing it and if China’s doing it, and we’re adhering to the agreement, that’s unacceptable.’

Mr Trump, who questioned why his predecessor Barack Obama had not withdrawn from the treaty or negotiated its terms while in the White House, did, however, hold out some hope of avoiding America’s withdrawal.

‘If they [Russia and China] get smart and if others get smart and they say, “Let’s not develop these horrible nuclear weapons,” I would be extremely happy with that. But as long as somebody’s violating the agreement, we’re not going to be the only ones to adhere to it,’ he said.

His announcement came as US National Security Adviser John Bolton headed to Moscow for talks with senior Russian officials.