Trump says US will pull out of nuclear treaty with Russia

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will pull the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty because Russia has violated the agreement, but provided no details on the violations.

The 1987 pact, which helps protect the security of the US and its allies in Europe and the Far East, prohibits the United States and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles (482km to 5,471km). 

"Russia has violated the agreement. They have been violating it for many years," Trump said after a rally in Elko, Nevada. 

"And we're not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we're not allowed to."

'Let's really get smart'

The agreement has constrained the US from developing new weapons, but America will begin developing them unless Russia and China agree not to possess or develop the weapons, Trump said. 

China is not currently party to the pact.

"We'll have to develop those weapons, unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and say let's really get smart and let's none of us develop those weapons, but if Russia's doing it and if China's doing it, and we're adhering to the agreement, that's unacceptable," he said.

US dreams of 'unipolar world' 

Meanwhile, Russia said Washington's move to pull out of the treaty is motivated by a dream of a single global superpower, Russian state news agencies cited a foreign ministry source as saying.

"The main motive is a dream of a unipolar world. Will it come true? No," a foreign ministry source told RIA Novosti state news agency.