The treaty signed by the United States and the Soviet Union bans the development, deployment and testing of land-based nuclear weapons with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310-3400 miles). Before Friday's announcement, the United States alleged that a new Russian missile breached the treaty. Russia in turn accused the United States of unilaterally seeking to neuter the agreement and of resisting Russian attempts to resolve the dispute. Leaving the treaty with Russia would allow the United States to counter the Chinese, but it's unclear how the Pentagon might try to do that. Washington's decision was received with anxiety in Europe despite an assertion by the head of NATO that Russia has been in violation of the treaty for several years.

Source: ABC News February 01, 2019 09:50 UTC