Top Russian, German diplomats discuss over phone US plans to quit INF Treaty

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his German counterpart Heiko Maas discussed over the phone on Wednesday Washington’s plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

"During a thorough exchange of views, the parties raised pressing international issues, including the situation related to the United States’ planned withdrawal from the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles," the ministry said.

In a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday, Maas called on Washington to coordinate with its European partners further steps on the United States’ potential withdrawal from the INF Treaty.

On October 20, US President Donald Trump said that Washington would withdraw from the INF Treaty because Russia was allegedly violating the terms of the agreement. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov described this decision as a dangerous move, while Berlin and Beijing likewise criticized Washington’s plans.

Meanwhile, London voiced support for the US, while NATO held Russia responsible for Trump’s decision arguing that "allies believe that the most plausible assessment would be that Russia is in violation of the INF Treaty."

The INF Treaty was signed between the Soviet Union and the United States on December 8, 1987. The US accused Russia of violating the agreement for the first time in July 2014. Later on, Washington repeated the claims on numerous occasions, while Moscow rejected them, accusing the US of developing missiles, which are tested at a range prohibited by the treaty and deploying missile defense elements, which may be used for launching short-and intermediate-range missiles.