INF Treaty

8 December 1987 · Washington, D.C.

Cold War & arms control

Background

It was the first treaty to eliminate a whole class of nuclear weapons: 2,692 missiles were destroyed by 1991, with on-site inspections. The USA withdrew in August 2019, accusing Russia of breaking it.

Signed by

USA (Ronald Reagan) and USSR (Mikhail Gorbachev)

Why it matters

Eliminated all US and Soviet land-based missiles with ranges of 500–5,500 km; the US withdrew in 2019.