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Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty
Why is it in news?
- U.S. President confirmed that the U.S. would pull out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, a crucial Cold War-era treaty banning the development, testing and possession of short and medium range ground-launched nuclear missiles with a range of 500-5,000 km.
- The treaty, signed in 1987, was central to ending the arms race between the two superpowers, and protected America’s NATO allies in Europe from Soviet missile attacks.
INF Treaty
- INF Treaty, formally Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
- It is on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles) is a 1987 arms control agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union (and later its successor state, in particular the Russian Federation).
- Signed in Washington, D.C. by President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on 8 December 1987, the treaty was ratified by the United States Senate on 27 May 1988 and came into force on 1 June 1988.
- The INF Treaty eliminated all nuclear and conventional missiles, as well as their launchers, with ranges of 500–1,000 kilometers (310–620 mi) (short-range) and 1,000–5,500 km (620–3,420 mi) (intermediate-range).
- The treaty did not cover sea-launched missiles.
- However, the scope of the US President's ability to withdraw from Senate-approved treaties without Congressional approval has been called into question.
Source
The Hindu