Russia has warned US president Donald Trump that his plans to ditch a key nuclear arms-control agreement risk a military escalation and will strike a major blow against global security.
The proposed withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, which helped end the cold war, was “a very dangerous step”, Russian officials said, as Nato allies in Europe warned against dismantling one of the continent’s major safeguards against conflict.
The INF treaty is one of the key pillars of global peacekeeping infrastructure and its potential collapse has sparked fears that other pacts, such as those restricting nuclear warheads, could also break apart.