The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was an arms control agreement signed in 1987 between the United States and the Soviet Union (later Russia) 
The treaty was a response to the nuclear arms race of the Cold War and sought to reduce the risk of nuclear conflict, particularly in Europe, by eliminating missiles that threatened allied countries.
 
Key points about the INF Treaty:
 

• Signed by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on December 8, 1987.
• Took effect on June 1, 1988.
• Banned intermediate-range and shorter-range ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles, but not air- or sea-launched missiles.
• Included on-site inspections and verification mechanisms unprecedented at the time.

 
Features of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty are:
 

• The treaty required elimination of all nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,420 miles).
• Both parties had to destroy specific missile systems: the US dismantled Pershing II, Pershing IA and IB, and BGM-109G cruise missiles; the Soviet Union dismantled SS-20, SS-4, SS-5, SS-12, SS-23 ballistic missiles, and SSC-X-4 cruise missiles.
• The treaty banned production, possession, and flight-testing of these intermediate-range missiles and their launchers, but did not cover air- or sea-launched missiles.
• Destruction of missiles included associated equipment such as training missiles, rocket stages, launch canisters, and launchers.
• The treaty mandated destruction of 2,692 missiles within three years.
• Included extensive verification measures such as intrusive on-site inspections, exchanges of data, and national technical means like satellite monitoring.
• Provided for mutual inspections: up to 20 short-notice inspections per year initially, decreasing over time with inspections concluding in 2001.
• Each party had the right to withdraw with six months' notice if they felt extraordinary events threatened their interests.
• The INF Treaty was the first arms control agreement to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons and played a vital role in reducing Cold War nuclear tensions.
• The treaty collapsed after US accusations of Russian violations, leading the US to withdraw in 2019, followed by Russia ending its commitment in 2025, effectively ending the treaty.

 
Why did Russia officially end its commitment to the INF Treaty in 2025?
 

• Russia officially ended its commitment to the INF Treaty in 2025 because it declared that the conditions for maintaining the treaty had "disappeared" and that it no longer considers itself bound by the previous self-imposed restrictions.
• Moscow cited what it described as a "direct threat" to its security caused by the actions of Western countries, including the deployment of missile systems near Russia's borders, such as the U.S. Typhon missile launcher in the Philippines and missile tests in Australia.
• Russia characterized these developments as destabilizing missile potentials that posed significant harmful consequences for regional and global stability.
• Additionally, Russia pointed to rising political and military tensions with the U.S. and NATO, and the fact that other countries like China were not bound by the treaty, further undermining Moscow's adherence to it.
• This announcement came several years after the United States formally withdrew from the treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations.
• Russia had initially maintained a self-imposed moratorium on deploying intermediate-range missiles but lifted that in 2025, effectively ending its participation in the treaty.

 

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