Trump to Pull US Out of Nuke Pact With Russia

The president accused Moscow of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 20, 2018 5:00 PM CDT
Trump to Pull US Out of Nuke Pact With Russia
President Donald Trump speaks to media before boarding Air Force One at Elko Regional Airport, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018, in Elko, Nev., after a campaign rally.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Donald Trump said Saturday he will pull the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty because Russia has violated the agreement. The 1987 pact, which helps protect the security of the U.S. 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. "Russia has violated the agreement. They have been violating it for many years," Trump said after a rally in Elko, Nevada, per the AP. "And we're not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we're not allowed to." The agreement has constrained the US from developing new weapons, but America will begin developing them unless Russia and China agree not to possess or develop the weapons, Trump said.

"We'll have to develop those weapons, unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and say let's really 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," he said. National Security Adviser John Bolton was headed Saturday to Moscow to meet with senior Russian officials at a time when Moscow-Washington relations remain frosty over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential race and upcoming US midterm elections. US officials have previously alleged that Russia violated the treaty by deliberately deploying a land-based cruise missile in order to pose a threat to NATO. Trump this week threatened to pull out of an international postal treaty.)

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