Germany regrets US withdrawal from arms pact

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany voiced regret on Monday over U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from a landmark arms control treaty with Russia.

“We regret this announcement by the U.S. to withdraw from this treaty,” government spokesman Steffen Seibert told a news conference in Berlin.

He underlined that the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Treaty (INF) has been an important agreement for Europe’s security in the last 30 years.

“All NATO partners now have to discuss the consequences of the American decision,” he said.

Seibert also criticized Russia for not clarifying and answering allegations that it has violated this agreement by its new nuclear-capable missile system.

Signed in 1987 between the U.S. and Russia, the INF treaty prohibits both countries from possessing and testing ground launch missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.