Sen. Rand Paul: US Exit From INF Treaty to Undo Decades of Arms Control Efforts

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Current US plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) will undo decades of bilateral diplomatic efforts between the US and Russia in the sphere of arms control, Republican Sen. Rand Paul said.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced the country’s exit from the INF treaty over alleged Russian violations of the agreement.

“This would undo decades of bipartisan arms control dating from [former US President Ronald] Reagan. We shouldn’t do it. We should seek to fix any problems with this treaty and move forward,” Senator Paul tweeted late Saturday evening.

READ MORE: 'Major Blow' to Global Stability: Russian Lawmakers React to Trump's INF Pullout

The 1987 INF Treaty prohibits the development, deployment and testing of ground-launched ballistic or cruise missiles with ranges between 300 and 3,400 miles.

Russia and the US have repeatedly accused each other of violating the treaty. The administration of former US president Barack Obama, however, decided not to abandon the agreement.