Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill Wednesday formalizing Russia’s suspension of participation in the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The move comes after President Trump had announced the US suspension of the deal.
The 1987 treaty forbids medium-range land-based cruise and ballistic
nuclear-capable missiles by either side. The US accused Russia of
violating the deal with a recently developed missile, though Russia
denied this, saying the missile was only tested for ranges shorter than
the INF restriction.
The US withdrawal from the deal has raised concerns in Russia that the
US may intend to install such missiles in Eastern Europe, along the
Russian border. With NATO expanding so far east, this could greatly risk
Russia’s nuclear balance.
Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the original signatories of the treaty, was
very critical of the US decision to withdraw from it, saying it could
lead to a dangerous escalation in the arms race. Though Trump and Putin
have recent agreed in general not to start a new arms race, the collapse
of the INF remains a dangerous step in that direction.
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