Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with John Bolton, U.S. national security adviser, at the Kremlin on October 23. (Photo: Maxim Shipenkov/AFP/Getty Images )
Trump to Withdraw U.S. From INF Treaty
P resident Donald Trump announced in October that he plans The president’s decision to withdraw from the treaty appears to “terminate” the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces to have come together quickly and demonstrates the strong (INF) Treaty, raising concerns about the return of Cold influence of his national security adviser, John Bolton, a forceful, War-style tensions over U.S. and Russian longtime critic of the INF Treaty and New START. analysis deployments of intermediate-range missiles “Russia has violated the agreement; they have been violating in Europe and elsewhere and the future of it for many years,” Trump said after a Oct. 20 campaign rally in the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). Elko, Nevada. “And we’re not going to let them violate a nuclear Trump’s sudden decision follows a years-long U.S.-Russian agreement and go out and do weapons and we’re not allowed to.” dispute about whether Moscow has developed and deployed a “We’ll have to develop those weapons,” Trump said, referring prohibited missile, known by its apparent Russian designation to the intermediate-range missiles prohibited by the treaty, 9M729, and comes amid fears expressed by some government “unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all officials and defense policy experts that China, which is not a come to us and say, ‘Let’s really get smart, and let’s none of us party to the INF Treaty, is gaining a military advantage in East develop those weapons.’” Asia by deploying large numbers of treaty-noncompliant missiles. “[B]ut if Russia’s doing it and if China’s doing it and we’re Still, critics of Trump’s withdrawal plan argue that it recklessly adhering to the agreement, that’s unacceptable,” he added. removes all constraints on the deployment of Russia’s illegal The INF Treaty required Russia and the United States to missiles, lets Russia off the hook for its violation, and goes eliminate permanently their nuclear and conventional ground- against the wishes of allies in Europe and elsewhere who want to launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to preserve the treaty. They also claim that the administration has 5,500 kilometers. not exhausted all diplomatic, economic, and military options to Since 2014, Washington has accused Moscow of violating its pressure Russia to return to compliance and that the military can commitment “not to possess, produce, or flight-test” a ground- counter China by continuing to field air- and sea-launched cruise launched cruise missile (GLCM) having a range prohibited under missiles that do not violate the accord. the INF Treaty. The Trump administration later identified the