EU urges Moscow to respect nuclear missile treaty pullout

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Sunday urged Russia to ensure continued respect of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, after Moscow suspended its participation in the agreement.

“We are deeply concerned over developments with regard to the INF Treaty, which could end on 2 August 2019,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement. “The upcoming days represent the last opportunity for dialogue and taking the necessary measures to preserve this important component of European security architecture,” Mogherini added.

Russia and the United States have both suspended their participation in the Cold War-era treaty, which bans a whole class of nuclear-capable missiles. Each accuses the other of having violated the accord. On July 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill formalising its suspension.