When was the INF treaty between the US and Russia signed and what happens if Donald Trump withdraws from it?
Trump controversially claimed that Russia has been violating the treaty 'for many years'
DONALD Trump has indicated his intention to withdraw the US from the INF treaty.
But what is the INF treaty and what happens if the leader of the free world ditches it?
What is the INF treaty and when was it signed?
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF treaty, is a 1987 arms control agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union (now the Russian Federation).
It was formally known as the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles.
The document was signed in Washington DC by then-President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on December 8, 1987.
The treaty was ratified by the US Senate on May 27, 1988, coming into force on June 1, 1988.
The INF Treaty eliminated all nuclear and conventional missiles, as well as their launchers, with ranges of 500–1,000 km/310–620 miles (short-range) and 1,000–5,500 km/620–3,420 miles (intermediate-range).
However, the treaty did not cover sea-launched missiles.
By May 1991, 2,692 missiles were eliminated, followed by 10 years of on-site verification inspections.
What has Donald Trump said?
On October 20, 2018, President Trump announced that he was withdrawing the US from the treaty.
Speaking at a campaign rally, Trump claimed that the reason for the pull-out was because "they've [Russia] been violating it for many years".
As the Constitution does not grant authority on how to terminate treaties, it has also been contested over what authority the President may have in doing so.
The announced withdrawal awaits Congressional approval in early 2019.
It has also been claimed that China's missile arsenal is also to blame for the US ditching the accord.
China's military has undergone a dramatic modernisation effort since 1987, investing billions of dollars in acquiring new weapons.
One area where China has invested heavily is the development of missiles.
Senior US military leaders have said that had China been party to the INF treaty, around 95 per cent of its approximately 2,000 ballistic and cruise missiles would be in violation.
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What happens if the withdrawal goes ahead?
If the US withdraws from the historic treaty, critics claim that there will be no winners from the decision.
Steven Pifer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute who was present at the creation of the INF treaty in the Reagan administration, argues that the US will get the blame for killing the treaty, distance allies in Europe and Asia.
A failure of the treaty would essentially also lift any restraint Russia might have felt about deploying such missiles.
Leaving the treaty would free the US to deploy intermediate-range missiles on its bases in Japan, for example, or Guam.
Russia reacted strongly to the news of the US’ withdrawal with founding co-signatory Mikhail Gorbachev criticising the move.
He said: “Under no circumstances should we tear up old disarmament agreements… Do they really not understand in Washington what this could lead to?”
On October 21, Britain backed the President's decision to ditch the treaty.