The U.S. has formally withdrawn from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a missile reduction agreement signed by Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the announcement Friday after announcing in February that U.S. participation in the pact was being suspended.
The U.S. has been unhappy with what it asserts has been Russia’s lack of compliance with the treaty for years, dating back to the Obama administration. Senior Trump administration officials put the blame for the U.S. pulling out of the pact squarely on Russia.
The treaty has been a key component of European security.
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In a statement, Pompeo said, “Russia is solely responsible for the treaty’s demise. … The United States will not remain party to a treaty that is deliberately violated by Russia.”
Pompeo, who is in Thailand for an Asian security conference, added, “The United States remains committed to effective arms control that advances U.S., allied, and partner security; is verifiable and enforceable; and includes partners that comply responsibly with their obligations.
“President Trump has charged this Administration with beginning a new chapter by seeking a new era of arms control that moves beyond the bilateral treaties of the past. Going forward, the United States calls upon Russia and China to join us in this opportunity to deliver real security results to our nations and the entire world.”
Although the U.S. has long considered Moscow a “serial violator” of the accord, senior Trump administration officials pointed to a new finding that the Kremlin has been producing and fielding multiple battalions of the Novator 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile, placing some in western Russia, in striking distance of European targets. Its estimated range is 1,600 miles.
The officials say they believe “all of western Europe is within range of this missile system.” The officials say that poses a critical threat to the security of the U.S. and its allies, making the U.S. withdrawal from the treaty “unavoidable.”
The INF Treaty required the destruction of of a particular class of weapons, banning medium-range, ground-based missiles capable of carrying nuclear arms — with a range of 310 to 3,400 miles. After it was signed, the U.S. and Russia dismantled more than 2,600 missiles.
The Council on Foreign Relations says missiles in this class are particularly dangerous because they’re capable of reaching their targets in 10 minutes, allowing for very little response time and creating the potential for deadly mistakes.
Reporting by Sara Cook. Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.
