Which two nations signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987?

The United States and the Soviet Union signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987. U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev signed the agreement in Washington, D.C., on December 8, 1987.

Known as the INF Treaty, it required both countries to eliminate ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,500 kilometers. It was notable because it removed an entire category of nuclear-capable weapons rather than merely limiting their numbers.

The agreement emerged from intense Cold War negotiations, including the 1986 Reykjavik summit. European allies had been especially concerned about Soviet SS-20 missiles and the planned deployment of U.S. Pershing II and cruise missiles in Europe. The treaty entered into force on June 1, 1988, after ratification.

It is sometimes confused with START, which focused on strategic nuclear weapons. The INF Treaty addressed shorter- and intermediate-range ground-launched systems. The United States formally withdrew from it in 2019, citing Russian violations.