A Better Way to Confront Russia's Nuclear Menace

Ongoing Russian violations of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty need to be effectively addressed because they defy a longstanding bilateral agreement and directly threaten our NATO allies. However, the Trump administration’s move to pull out of the treaty is misguided; instead, we should launch a major initiative to strengthen strategic stability between the United States and Russia. The additional notice by national security adviser John Bolton that the United States is “considering its position about New START” — the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty — is another example of escalatory rhetoric and illogical action that will undermine, rather than enhance, nuclear security.

Over the past five years, it has become increasingly evident that the Russians were cheating on the agreement negotiated between Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev that put an end to an escalating short- and medium-range nuclear arms race in Europe. It was a landmark achievement, and substantially diminished nuclear risks for decades.