Thirty-five years ago today, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which reduced the size of US and Soviet nuclear weapons stockpiles.
1987: On December 8th, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The treaty was the first in which the United States and Soviet Union agreed to eliminate a weapons class and reduce the number of weapons in their nuclear stockpile.
2014: The United States claimed that Russia was in violation of the INF Treaty.
2019: The Trump administration decided to fully pull out of the agreement.
2022: During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they have threatened Ukraine and Western Europe with the use of nuclear weapons, declared intentions to increase their nuclear stockpile, and postponed negotiations of the New START Treaty.
Further Resources
The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange. Read more
