Washington, US President Donald Trump has said that his country will pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, a decades-old pact limiting strategic weapons development.
Trump made the remarks to reporters after attending a rally in the state of Nevada on Saturday. He accused Russia of violating the 1987 treaty without providing any evidence, reported Xinhua news agency.
“The agreement has been violated for many years,” he said.
“We’ll have to develop those weapons,” Trump added.
Trump’s words came as his National Security Adviser John Bolton was heading to Russia on Saturday, who has been reported to tell Russian leaders about the US plan to exit the landmark deal.
The INF treaty, signed by the former Soviet Union and the United States, bans the development, deployment and testing of ground-launched ballistic or cruise missiles with ranges between 300 miles (483 km) and 3,400 miles (5,472 km).
Moscow and Washington have repeatedly accused each other of violating the treaty.
In May, a Russian military official claimed that the United States continues testing its missile defence systems and producing missiles which are prohibited by the INF treaty.