BRUSSELS — President Trump will suspend U.S. obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 60 days unless Russia comes back into compliance with the agreement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Tuesday afternoon following meetings with NATO allies.
“Russia is responsible for the demise of the treaty,” Pompeo told reporters at his press conference following the NATO foreign minister summit. “Only they can save this treaty. If Russia admits its violations and fully and verifiably comes back into compliance, we will of course welcome that course of action.”
Pompeo stressed that “there’s been no indication” that Russia will return to compliance with the INF Treaty, a 1987 accord that banned the deployment of ground-based intermediate range nuclear missiles. U.S. withdrawal from the deal would set the table for the reemergence of quick strike nuclear missiles that rattled Russia and Western European leaders during the Cold War.
“There is complete unity around this,” Pompeo said. “We believe this is the right outcome.”
Pompeo's announcement came on the same day that NATO foreign ministers formally concluded that Russia has developed a missile that "violates the INF Treaty and poses significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security."
NATO said in a statement that Russia has "responded to our concerns with denials and obfuscation" and only recently acknowledged the existence of the system.
The statement called on Russia to "return urgently to full and verifiable compliance" with the treaty.
"Russia's violation of the INF Treaty erodes the foundations of effective arms control and undermines Allied security," it said. "This is part of Russia's broader pattern of behavior that is intended to weaken the overall Euro-Atlantic security architecture."
