{"id":27944,"date":"2018-10-22T18:51:22","date_gmt":"2018-10-22T18:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/10\/22\/did-the-us-botch-its-withdraw-from-the-inf-treaty\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:23:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:23:22","slug":"did-the-us-botch-its-withdraw-from-the-inf-treaty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-arsenal\/2018\/10\/22\/did-the-us-botch-its-withdraw-from-the-inf-treaty\/","title":{"rendered":"Did the US botch its withdraw from the INF Treaty?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend announced at a campaign rally his intention to withdraw the country from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, an agreement between the U.S. and Russia to not field ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. The announcement drew applause from the treaty\u2019s critics and disapproval from its advocates<\/a>, but on a conference call hosted by the Atlantic Council on Monday, members from both parties agreed the way in which Trump announced his decision has further depreciated America\u2019s standing on the world stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National security adviser John Bolton reportedly recommended<\/a> to Trump that the U.S. withdraw from the treaty, and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said that \u201cRussia must return to compliance with the INF Treaty, or the U.S. will need to respond to its cavalier disregard of the treaty\u2019s specific limits.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Russia is not abiding by the terms of the agreement, then it no longer is an arms control agreement, but unilateral restraint, so the argument goes. And Trump believes Russia has violated the terms of the treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard Burt, the former U.S. chief negotiator of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, a participant in the INF Treaty negotiations and a supporter of the deal, said it\u2019s undeniable Russia has violated the treaty since at least 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe problem we now confront is the way the Trump administration has handled this,\u201d Burt said on the conference call. \u201cThe overwhelming view of people, not only in the United States and Russia but around the world, will be that it was the United States that killed this treaty. The handling of this decision is just simply god awful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen. Philip Breedlove, former NATO supreme allied commander Europe, expressed dissatisfaction with the seemingly lack of consultation with U.S. allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe cannot have this be seen as U.S. unilateralism, that would be the very worst,” he said. “We have to take action, it needs to be in accordance and in coordination with our allies … we have to embrace Europe and move forward with Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t