US to end landmark Cold War-era arms-control treaty with Russia
What's the story
President Donald Trump has announced that the US will pull out of a landmark Cold War-era arms control treaty with Russia that limited the number of missiles in the two nations, accusing Moscow of violating the deal.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was one of those agreements and is set to expire in the next two years.
Here's more.
The pact
Pact prohibited US, Russia from possessing, producing ground-launched cruise missile
The 1987 INF Treaty helps to protect the security of the United States and its allies in Europe and the Far East.
It also prohibits the US and Russia from possessing, producing or even test-flying a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.
The pact covers all land-based missiles, including those carrying the nuclear warheads.
Agreement
We're going to terminate the agreement and develop weapons: Trump
"We're going to terminate the agreement, and we're going to pull out," Trump said when asked about the reports that his National Security Adviser, John Bolton wants the US to pull out of the three-decade-old treaty.
"We'll have to develop those weapons," he said.
The INF Treaty was signed between the then US President Ronald Reagan and his USSR counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.
Pentagon
The US President said that Russia has violated the agreement
The Pentagon has been supportive of the INF treaty but Defense Secretary James Mattis warned other NATO ministers earlier this month it would no longer be tenable if Russia did not withdraw its Novator ground-based missile, which the US has argued for nearly four-years violates the INF range restrictions.
"Russia has violated the agreement. They have been violating it for many years," Trump said.
Violation of pact
We won't let them violate a nuclear agreement, says Trump
Trump asserted, "The US isn't going to let them violate a nuclear agreement, go out and do weapons and we're not allowed to."
"We'll have to develop those weapons unless Russia and China come to us and say let's none of us develop those weapons, but if Russia and China are doing it and we're adhering to the agreement, that's unacceptable," he asserted.
Quote
No ignorance for Trump on INF Treaty
Trump alleged that his predecessor Barack Obama had kept quiet on this. "I don't know why President Obama didn't pull out. And we're not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we're not allowed to," he said.
Dangerous step
Withdrawal from treaty a dangerous step: Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister
On this major statement given by the US President, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Sunday that the US's withdrawal from the treaty would be a dangerous step.
"This would be a very dangerous step that, I'm sure, not only will not be comprehended by the international community but will also provoke serious condemnation," Ryabkov told the TASS state news agency.