US expected to announce pullout of arms treaty as early as tomorrow

The Trump administration is expected to announce as soon as tomorrow that it will withdraw from an arms treaty that has been a centerpiece of superpower arms control since the waning days of the Cold War.

Some analysts worry that the treaty’s demise could fuel a new arms race.

An American withdrawal, which has been expected for months, follows years of unresolved dispute over Russian compliance with the pact, signed in 1987 and known as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.

It is the first arms control measure to ban an entire class of weapons — ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 500 kilometers (310 miles) and 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles).

The US asserts that Russia has deployed a missile in violation of the treaty. Russia denies this.

— AP