INF’s significance for European security "Macron"

French President Emmanuel Macron has pointed to the importance of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF Treaty) for European security and stability in a telephone conversation with his US counterpart Donald Trump in the wake of Washington’s plans to quit it, the Elysee Palace reported on Monday.

"The French president noted the importance of this agreement, especially for European security and our strategic stability," the statement reads.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said that Washington would withdraw from the INF Treaty because Russia was violating the terms of the agreement. At the same time, he did not rule out signing a new agreement on intermediate-range nuclear forces with Moscow and Beijing if Russia and China provided guarantees of halting the development of such weapons.

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, also 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.