NUCLEAR/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “The United States formally withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia Friday [8-2-19], as the US military prepares to test a new non-nuclear mobile-launched cruise missile developed specifically to challenge Moscow in Europe, according to a senior US defense official. The US withdrawal puts an end to a landmark arms control pact that has limited the development of ground-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers and is sparking fears of a new arms race…The new US missile test, which CNN reported Thursday [8-1-19], is expected to take place in the next few weeks and will essentially be the Trump administration’s answer to Russia’s years-long non-compliance with the INF treaty, the senior US defense official said. A senior administration official told reporters that the US will be testing the cruise missiles that were forbidden by the INF treaty because ‘Russia cannot maintain military advantage,’ but claimed that it will take years for the US to deploy those weapons.”
–Veronica Stracqualursi, Nicole Gaouette, Barbara Starr and Kylie Atwood, “US formally withdraws from nuclear treaty with Russia and prepares to test new missile,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, August 2, 2019 1:10 pm