The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Agreement of 1987 was a seminal treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was signed on December 8, 1987, by President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, and it marked a major milestone in the winding down of the Cold War.
The purpose of the INF Agreement was to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons from Europe and to reduce the risk of nuclear war on the continent. Specifically, the treaty banned the production, testing, and deployment of land-based intermediate-range missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.
This was a critical development because intermediate-range missiles (IRMs) had been a significant source of tension between the two superpowers throughout the 1980s. In the early 1980s, the Soviet Union deployed SS-20 IRMs, which could reach targets in Western Europe within minutes. In response, the United States deployed Pershing II and ground-launched cruise missiles in Europe.
This buildup of IRMs on both sides raised the risk of a catastrophic nuclear war in Europe, known as the “Euro-missile crisis.” The INF Agreement effectively ended this crisis by eliminating all IRMs from Europe.
The treaty also had broader implications for nuclear disarmament and arms control. By banning an entire class of nuclear weapons, the INF Agreement set a precedent for other arms control treaties that would follow. It also helped build trust between the United States and the Soviet Union, which was critical in the negotiations that would lead to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union.
In conclusion, the purpose of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Agreement of 1987 was to eliminate a class of nuclear weapons from Europe and to reduce the risk of nuclear war on the continent. This agreement had far-reaching implications for arms control and helped to build trust between two superpowers that had been locked in a Cold War for decades.