Latest: Trump blames Russia as US abandons key arms control treaty

Latest: The Trump administration says it is withdrawing from a treaty that has been a centrepiece of superpower arms control since the Cold War, in a move some analysts claim could fuel a new arms race.

The Trump administration says it is withdrawing from a treaty that has been a centrepiece of superpower arms control since the Cold War, in a move some analysts claim could fuel a new arms race.

President Donald Trump said in a statement that Russia, "for far too long", has violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty "with impunity, covertly developing and fielding a prohibited missile system that poses a direct threat to our allies and troops abroad".