WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Friday released the following statement after the Trump administration announced that the United States will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty after Russia’s violation of the agreement. The INF Treaty, which was signed in 1987, bans all land-based missiles with a range of 310 to 3,400 miles. 

“Trump's withdrawal of America from the world continues. There’s no doubt that Russia is violating the INF Treaty, but we shouldn’t just throw our hands up and return to a nuclear arms race. Withdrawing from the INF doesn’t hold Russia accountable, it just frees them up to legally develop even more nuclear missiles. We don’t repeal laws against theft or murder when criminals violate those laws, and we similarly have little to gain, and tons to lose, by throwing out this arms control agreement. Instead, let’s keep up the pressure on Russia to comply with their obligations. Once again, President Trump’s haphazard foreign policy is making America and our allies less safe,” said Murphy. 

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