Source: NDTV
Context: Russia has officially declared its withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, stating that Western missile deployments now directly threaten its security.
About Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty:
- What is the INF Treaty?
- The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was a landmark arms control agreement signed on 8 December 1987 between the United States and the Soviet Union, during the Reagan-Gorbachev
- Objective: To eliminate an entire category of nuclear and conventional missiles that posed an immediate threat to Europe and reduce the risk of nuclear escalation.
- Key Features of the INF Treaty:
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- Scope of Weapons Banned:
- Banned all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km.
- Included both nuclear and conventional warheads.
- First-of-its-Kind Elimination: First arms treaty to eliminate an entire class of weapons, not just limit them.
- Global Coverage: Treaty applied to missiles deployed globally, not just in Europe.
- Verification Measures: Introduced on-site inspections, enhancing transparency and trust.
- Mutual Disarmament: Nearly two-thirds of the dismantled missiles were Soviet, rest were American.
- Scope of Weapons Banned:
- Implications of Russia’s Exit:
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- Arms Race Risk: Removes constraints on missile development in Europe and Asia.
- Erosion of Trust: Weakens arms control dialogue between nuclear powers.
- Last Arms Treaty Left: Only New START Treaty (expires 2026) remains; its future is also uncertain.
