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
Since you are here
Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.
Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.
Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.
If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.
To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.
The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.
The shop can be found here.
You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .
