INF Treaty

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed on December 8, 1987, by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The agreement was a landmark achievement of the Cold War era, marking the first time the superpowers agreed to entirely eliminate a whole category of nuclear weapons. It officially went into effect on June 1, 1988.

The treaty strictly prohibited the possession, production, and flight-testing of all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. This led to the physical destruction of famous weapon systems like the American Pershing II and the Soviet SS-20 missiles. Air-launched and sea-launched missiles of the same ranges, however, were not affected by the treaty.

The treaty began to unravel in the 2010s when the United States accused Russia of developing and deploying the 9M729 missile, claiming it violated the range limits. After years of failed diplomatic negotiations, the U.S. officially withdrew from the treaty on August 2, 2019. Russia immediately followed suit, sparking fears of a renewed intermediate-range arms race in Europe.

By successfully eliminating an entire class of destabilizing, short-fuse nuclear weapons that were stationed in Europe, the INF Treaty significantly reduced the threat of an accidental nuclear war. It physically removed missiles that could strike Moscow or Western European capitals within ten minutes. The strict, unprecedented verification inspections required by the treaty also helped build crucial trust between the superpowers.