Russia follows U.S. in suspending Reagan-era arms treaty

Russia will follow the United States in exiting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Saturday.

"We will respond quid pro quo. Our American partners announced that they are suspending their participation in the treaty, and we are suspending it too," Putin said. "All of our proposals in this sphere, as before, remain on the table, the doors for talks are open."

Putin said Russia will begin work on new missiles previously prohibited under the Reagan-era arms control agreement but will not increase its military budget for the project, seeking to avoid a "costly arms race." He pledged Moscow will not deploy these weapons to Europe and elsewhere abroad unless the United States initiates an arms build-up in those regions.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

The Trump administration announced its suspension of the INF on Friday, though President Trump revealed his plans to leave the deal in October. Washington has with NATO agreement accused Moscow of failing to comply with the treaty, which was originally signed in 1987 between then-President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.