US to withdraw from 1972 missile treaty

President George W. Bush has decided to give Russia notice that the United States will withdraw from the 1972 nuclear treaty that bans testing of missile defence systems, US government officials said today.

Bush will announce the decision in the next several days, effectively invoking a clause in the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that requires the US and Russia to give six months’ notice before abandoning the pact.