Which 1987 treaty eliminated U.S. and Soviet ground-launched intermediate-range missiles?

The 1987 treaty that eliminated U.S. and Soviet ground-launched intermediate-range missiles was the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev signed the INF Treaty in Washington, D.C., on 8 December 1987. It prohibited both countries from possessing, producing, or flight-testing ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,500 kilometres, covering both nuclear and conventional systems.

The agreement addressed a dangerous arms race in Europe. The United States had deployed Pershing II missiles and ground-launched cruise missiles, while the Soviet Union had fielded systems such as the SS-20. Their short flight times increased fears that a crisis could escalate rapidly into nuclear war. The treaty required the destruction of entire missile classes rather than merely limiting their numbers.

By May 1991, the United States and Soviet Union had destroyed 2,692 missiles, supported by mutual inspections. The treaty did not cover air-launched or sea-launched missiles, and it later collapsed after U.S. withdrawal in 2019 amid accusations of Russian violations. It is often confused with START, which limited strategic nuclear arsenals rather than eliminating this category of land-based missiles.