Which US president signed the INF Treaty in 1987?

U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the INF Treaty in 1987. Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty at the White House in Washington, D.C., on 8 December 1987.

The agreement was a major Cold War arms-control breakthrough because it eliminated an entire class of land-based missiles rather than merely limiting their numbers. It covered ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,500 kilometers, including systems capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads.

The treaty followed years of tension over Soviet SS-20 missiles and American Pershing II and cruise missiles deployed in Europe. Its provisions required both sides to destroy their covered missiles and launchers, with extensive inspections to verify compliance. By 1991, the United States and Soviet Union had eliminated 2,692 missiles.

The treaty did not cover air-launched or sea-launched missiles, so it was narrower than a general nuclear disarmament agreement. Another frequent confusion is between signing and ratification: the U.S. Senate approved it in May 1988, and it formally entered into force the following June.