USA / Russia

The INF 1987 signing ended 40 years of a spiraling Cold War arms race

The Trump administration said Friday it is freeing itself from the constraints of a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia and will begin withdrawing from the pact on Saturday.President Donald Trump blamed the Russians for the demise of the Cold War-era pact, known as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.“For too long,” Trump said in a written statement issued by the White House, Russia has violated the treaty “with impunity, covertly developing and fielding a prohibited missile system that poses a direct threat to our allies and troops abroad".The INF treaty, signed in 1987, has been a centrepiece of superpower arms control since the Cold War. Some analysts worry its demise could fuel a new arms race.