INF Treaty Signed

Setting the scene

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed on December 8, 1987, in Washington, D.C., by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The treaty eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons—ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500-5,500 kilometers. It was the first arms control agreement to actually reduce nuclear arsenals rather than just limit growth.

What happened

The treaty resulted from six years of negotiations and was made possible by Gorbachev's reforms and Reagan's willingness to negotiate. It required the destruction of 2,692 missiles—846 American and 1,846 Soviet—including the U.S. Pershing II and Soviet SS-20 missiles that had caused the Euromissile crisis of the early 1980s. The treaty included unprecedented verification measures, including on-site inspections.

Why it still matters

The INF Treaty was a landmark in ending the Cold War, demonstrating that the superpowers could reverse the arms race. Reagan's phrase 'trust, but verify' captured the new relationship. The treaty eliminated the most destabilizing nuclear weapons in Europe and reduced the risk of nuclear war. The U.S. withdrew from the treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations, but the 1987 agreement remains the high point of arms control, showing how diplomacy could make the world safer.

Background

Europeans feared less about sudden nuclear strikes.