The Trump administration will end U.S. compliance with a landmark nuclear arms control treaty with Russia.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “Russia has jeopardized the United States’ security interests, and we can no longer be restricted by the treaty while Russia shamelessly violated it.
“Countries must be held accountable when they break the rules.”
The U.S. said in December that it was unhappy with Russia’s development of certain weapons systems.
Pompeo said. “Russia’s violation puts millions of Europeans and Americans at greater risk. It aims to put the United States at a military disadvantage, and it undercuts the chances of moving our bilateral relationship into a better direction.”
The treaty was signed in 1987 and it banned either nation from possessing or test-firing ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 300 and 3,100 miles.
Abandoning the 32-year-old treaty could spark a new arms race and possibly put Europe at an increased risk of Russian aggression.
MORE TO FOLLOW