POLITICO:
The United States is suspending its participation in a key arms control agreement with Russia, and will leave the pact completely in six months, the Trump administration announced Friday.
The decision to abandon the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has raised concerns about a renewed arms race with Moscow. But it’s not a surprise: The Trump administration has been signaling for months that it will walk away from the treaty, alleging that Russia has not met its obligations under the agreement for years.
“Countries must be held accountable when they break the rules,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a news conference. “Russia has jeopardized the United States’ security interests, and we can no longer be restricted by the treaty while Russia shamelessly violates it.”
President Donald Trump, too, issued a warning to Russia that hinted at another concern: That China wants to take advantage of the existence of the treaty to surge ahead in its own missile capabilities.
