Washington announces its withdrawal from nuclear missile treaty with Russia

SANAA, Feb. 2 (YPA) – The Trump administration announced on Friday that the United States withdraw from an important nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, a step that would exacerbate the risk of a new arms race, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday morning at Foreign Ministry.

According to Xinhua, Pompeo referred to Russia’s violation of the agreement, which Moscow has repeatedly denied.

The move comes about 60 days after Washington threatened to withdraw from the historic Mid-Term Nuclear Powers Treaty, which would begin with a six-month waiver, leading to a permanent exit from the 1987 treaty between the United States and the former Soviet Union.

US President Donald Trump said in a statement on Friday that his country would withdraw from the “Treaty on the reduction of medium-range nuclear missiles” signed with Moscow during the Cold War on Saturday, adding that the process will be completed within six months as well as NATO confirmed its “full” support for Washington’s decision.

The treaty was signed by former President Ronald Reagan and the last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to ban land-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.

The Treaty concluded a dangerous mobilization of warheads in Europe.

Sameera Hassn