Mikhail Gorbachev says US President Trump’s plan to withdraw from a key Cold War nuclear weapons treaty is a reversal of efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament.
WEB DESK
Former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev has criticized US President Donald Trump’s plan to pull the United States out of the INF treaty.
Speaking to the Russian news agency Interfax on Sunday, Gorbachev said it would be a mistake for Washington to quit the treaty. He said it would undermine the work he and his US counterparts did to end the Cold War arms race.
Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with then US President Ronald Reagan in 1987.
He said Washington’s desire to turn back politics cannot be supported. He added that this must be declared not only by Russia, but by all who cherish a world without nuclear weapons.
On the issue German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that for 30 years the treaty has been a pillar of Europe’s security architecture.
He said Germany has often urged Russia to address serious allegations that it is violating the treaty. He said Berlin is now urging Washington to consider the possible consequences of quitting the pact.
Meanwhile, British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson told a media outlet that London will be “absolutely resolute” with Washington in hammering home a clear message that Russia needs to respect the obligations of the treaty it signed.
Mr Gorbachev’s leadership alongside Mr Reagan in the US helped bring an end to the Cold War and improve the relations between the two military powerhouses.
The treaty helps protect the security of the US and its allies in Europe and the Far East, but has constrained the US from developing new nuclear weapons.
Mr Gorbachev called on “all who cherish the world, especially a world without nuclear weapons” to hit back at Washington’s attempt to “turn back politics”.
Russia’s current administration also hit back at the announcement from Mr Trump, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov quoted as telling state news agency Tass that leaving the treaty “would be a very dangerous step”.