Trump is Right to Jettison the Flawed INF Treaty

This is Frank Gaffney with the Secure Freedom Minute.

President Trump intends to withdraw the U.S. from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty – and the Russians are pitching a fit.

Vladimir Putin insists we remain bound by an accord that even the Obama administration said the Kremlin has been violating for years, threatening our allies and forces in Europe and Asia with new nuclear weapons for which we have no in-kind deterrent.

The INF Treaty also imposes no restriction on similar threats increasingly posed by the Communist Chinese to America’s personnel, bases and friends in the Western Pacific.

Three decades ago, I helped President Reagan try to negotiate the “Zero-Option” – a deal that would permanently eliminate all intermediate-range missiles – but had to warn the Senate that the INF Treaty wouldn’t do that.

Mr. Trump is right to stop practicing unilateral disarmament and to restore the INF deterrence we need in Europe and Asia.

This is Frank Gaffney.