02.01.19

Hoeven Statement on U.S. Withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Treaty

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee and the Senate Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Coalition, today released the following statement after the President announced that the U.S. will suspend its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty and will completely withdraw in 6 months, unless Russia comes back into compliance with the treaty and destroys all of its violating missiles, launchers and other equipment.  

“Russia is violating the terms of the INF treaty,” said Hoeven. “The U.S. with the support of our NATO allies will suspend the agreement in order to hold Russia accountable unless they come into compliance with the requirements under the treaty for intermediate-range nuclear weapons.” 

As a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, Hoeven is working to ensure updates to the nation’s nuclear forces remain on schedule so the U.S. will have a strong deterrent for decades to come. Additionally, the senator has urged the President to continue the U.S. nuclear modernization program, ensure the U.S. develops capabilities that respond to Russia’s nuclear advancements and hold the Russians accountable for their arms control commitments. 

In January, the senator introduced a bipartisan resolution supporting the modernization and maintenance of the nation’s ICBM fleet. The resolution emphasizes the vital role of the U.S. nuclear forces in maintaining national security and stresses that weakening one leg of the nuclear triad undermines the credibility of the entire deterrent. 

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