{"id":19596,"date":"2018-12-04T19:28:08","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T19:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/04\/pompeo-us-will-leave-nuclear-treaty-over-russian-cheating\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:49:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:49:03","slug":"pompeo-us-will-leave-nuclear-treaty-over-russian-cheating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/12\/04\/pompeo-us-will-leave-nuclear-treaty-over-russian-cheating\/","title":{"rendered":"The US has taken the first step to leaving an arms control treaty. What happens next?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Andrea Thompson, the Undersecretary of State for Arms Control & International Security, lays out what happens when Russia is in violation of both the INF and Open Skies Treaties.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The United States on Tuesday formally accused Russia of violating a major arms control treaty<\/a>, taking the first step to leaving the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty \u2014 which could lead to the eventual placement of ground-based cruise missiles in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at NATO headquarters, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: \u201cThe United States today declares it has found Russia in material breach of the treaty and will suspend our obligations as a remedy, effective in 60 days, unless Russia returns to full and verifiable compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision to \u201csuspend\u201d is key, signaling that the U.S. has not yet made the full decision to withdraw from the agreement. Regardless of this 60-day window, the Trump administration can announce it is withdrawing at any time, but must include a six-month notice period to officially exit the treaty, per the language of the agreement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Russian Foreign Ministry denied the allegations, with ministerial spokeswoman Maria Zakharova telling reporters in Moscow on Tuesday that \u201cRussia strictly complies with the provisions of the treaty, and the American side is aware of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move is not wholly unexpected, as news leaked that U.S. President Donald Trump planned to withdraw from the treaty in October. But the timing had been unclear until Pompeo\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The INF Treaty, signed between the U.S. and Russia in 1987, bans all land-based cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. While the Obama administration had accused Moscow of violating the agreement by deploying such systems, Pentagon officials have been more vocal under the Trump administration about their concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the administration, Russia is violating the agreement while the U.S. is holding to its standards, harming America\u2019s defensive posture. With those concerns in mind, since coming to office, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has been publicly ambivalent about the value of the treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\t