Russia Formally Abandons INF Treaty Amid Nuclear Arms Race
Russia has formally withdrawn from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty, accelerating a global nuclear arms race involving the United States, China, and NATO.
The Federal Government of Russia has formally abandoned the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, which previously banned medium- and short-range nuclear missiles. President Vladimir Putin justified the withdrawal by citing hostile actions from NATO, though the United States had already reneged on the agreement in 2018.
This collapse of arms control is accelerating a nuclear arms race across Europe and Asia. Russia has begun deploying nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missiles, while the United States is increasing funding for its nuclear forces to $87 billion under a proposed 2026 budget from Donald Trump, which includes the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile. Simultaneously, China has more than doubled its nuclear stockpile to 500 warheads since 2020.
NATO members are responding by expanding missile bases and increasing national defense budgets to 5% of GDP. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons reports that global spending on nuclear weapons by the nine nuclear-armed states reached $100.2 billion last year, an 11% increase from 2023. Further instability is expected as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is slated to lapse in February 2026.
