Trump says US to pull from Nuclear Treaty with Russia and will start to develop the weapons

Donald Trump says he will pull the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, claiming Moscow is violating it.

The president said he wants a new deal with Russia and China, although he offered no details of how Moscow had violated the 1987 agreement. “We are going to terminate the agreement and then we are going to develop the weapons,” Mr Trump said – unless a new agreement is forthcoming.

The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty helps protect the security of the US and its allies in Europe and the Far East. It prohibits the US and Russia from possessing, producing or test-firing a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles.

Mr Trump made the announcement during a campaign stop in Elko, Nevada, on Saturday. He said: “Russia has not adhered to the agreement. So we are going to terminate the agreement.