Trump Says US will Withdraw from INF Treaty with Russia

Trump Says US will Withdraw from INF Treaty with Russia

President Donald Trump after a campaign rally in Nevada (Photo: AP)

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the US is pulling out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, claiming that Moscow is violating the deal. 

Speaking to reporters in Nevada, Trump said: “Russia has violated the agreement. They’ve been violating it for many years, and I don’t know why President Obama didn’t negotiate or pull out.

“We’re not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and do weapons, and we’re not allowed to. We’re the ones that have stayed in the agreement and we’ve honored the agreement, but Russia has not unfortunately honored the agreement, so we’re going to terminate the agreement, we’re going to pull out.”

When asked to clarify, the president said: “Unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and they say, ‘Let’s all of us 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. So we have a tremendous amount of money to play with our military.”

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 ground-launched cruise missile with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles (500 to 5,500km).

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov commented on Sunday on Trump’s statement, saying the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty would be a very dangerous step, which would be definitely condemned by the international community.

"This would be a very dangerous step, which, I’m sure, won’t be just understood by the international community, but arouse serious condemnation of all members of the world community, who are committed to security and stability and are ready to work on strengthening the current regimes in arms control," Ryabkov noted.

Russia expects that US National Security Advisor John Bolton, who is arriving in Moscow on Sunday, will clarify Washington’s plans on the INF Treaty, Ryabkov told TASS.

Russia condemns the US attempts to achieve Moscow’s concessions in international security issues through blackmail, Ryabkov said. "We condemn the continuing attempts to achieve Russia’s concessions through blackmail, moreover in such an issue which has importance for international security and security in the nuclear weapons sphere, for maintaining strategic stability."

 

[Sources: CNNThe GuardianThe Independent, TASS]