The White House announced Friday it would withdraw from a landmark Cold War-era missile treaty with Russia effective Saturday, raising the specter of a dangerous and costly arms race in Europe.

The withdrawal "will be completed in 6 months unless Russia comes back into compliance by destroying all of its violating missiles, launchers, and associated equipment," it said in a statement.

The US would develop "military response options" and work with its NATO allies "to deny Russia any military advantage from its unlawful conduct," it added, without elaborating.

Trump suggests new treaty

President Vladimir Putin announced Saturday that Russia too would be suspending its participation in the treaty.

"Our American partners have announced they are suspending their participation in the deal, and we are also suspending our participation," Putin said.

Speaking at a televised meeting with foreign and defense ministers, Putin said Russia would begin creating new intermediate-range missiles but would not deploy them unless the US did so first. The Russian president also told ministers not to seek disarmament negotiations with Washington.

"We will wait until our partners have matured enough to conduct an equal, meaningful dialogue with us on this important topic," he said.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump told reporters that he was interested in holding talks to create a new arms control treaty.

"I hope that we're able to get everybody in a big and beautiful room and do a new treaty that would be much better," he said, without elaborating.

Read more: What is the INF nuclear treaty?

NATO backs US

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance "fully" supported the US withdrawal announcement.

"Russia is in material breach of the INF Treaty and must use [the] next six months to return to full and verifiable compliance or bear sole responsibility for its demise," he said.

Read more: Germany demands Russia verify its commitment to INF missile treaty

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said, "Russia is not ready to restore treaty compliance."

"Without the treaty, there will be less security," he said, adding that all sides should avoid any talk of building up their arsenals and instead seek "comprehensive arms control."

France said that while it regrets the US decision, Russia should use the next six months to once again comply with the treaty.

What's the INF?

The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) bans nuclear-capable missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,420 miles).

The United States and its NATO allies, including Germany, say Russia's 9M729 cruise missile exceeds the 500 kilometer limit.

The US has also noted that China, which is not party to the INF, has built up a large arsenal of intermediate-range ballistic missiles in recent years.

The former US ambassador to NATO, Ivo Daalder, told DW that was the main reason for the US withdrawal from the INF.

"The treaty does not deal with the new reality of a world in which countries like China are proliferating the deployment of intermediate nuclear and non-nuclear forces," he said.

Russia says the range is limited to 480 kilometers.

Read more: Russia's controversial 9M729 missile system: A not-so-secret secret

German reactions to Trump's threat to ditch nuclear treaty with Russia Merkel's government 'regrets' Trump's decision German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government voiced immediate concern over US President Donald Trump's threats to pull out of the INF nuclear arms treaty with Russia. Berlin said it "regrets" Washington's decision, adding that it urged Russia to "dispel the serious doubts about its adherence to the treaty that had arisen as a result of a new type of Russian missile."

German reactions to Trump's threat to ditch nuclear treaty with Russia Foreign Ministry: US move puts Europe at risk German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that Trump's move poses "difficult questions for us and for Europe" since the INF treaty is "an important pillar of our European security architecture."

German reactions to Trump's threat to ditch nuclear treaty with Russia Defense minister urges NATO involvement Maintaining the level of security in Europe was the primary concern of German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. "Regardless of whether the treaty has to be saved or renegotiated, it is important that all NATO states be included in the discussion," she told reporters during a trip to China.

German reactions to Trump's threat to ditch nuclear treaty with Russia Nobel-winners urge action from Germany The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which won a Nobel Peace Prize last year, called on Berlin to intervene in the tug-of-war between the US and Russia. The potential threat to people living in Europe is massive, warned Johannes Mikeska, the head of ICAN's Germany branch. "That's why it is urgent for the German government to now mediate between the US and Russia," he said.

German reactions to Trump's threat to ditch nuclear treaty with Russia Greens: Ban all US nukes from Germany The Greens described Trump's move as "absolutely fatal." Annalena Baerbock, the co-leader of the Greens, urged Merkel's government to take a stand against Washington by getting rid of the US nuclear weapons still stationed in Germany. "If the German government is serious about its appeals to the US government, it must now say: 'We are ending Germany's nuclear participation,'" she said.

German reactions to Trump's threat to ditch nuclear treaty with Russia FDP leader backs Trump's argument Christian Lindner, the leader of the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP), said although he thinks Trump's decision is "dangerous," Washington's reasoning was sound. "What's correct is that Putin isn't adhering to the INF!" Lindner wrote on Twitter. The FDP chief also slammed the Greens' proposal to remove US weapons from Germany, saying it would leave Germany "defenseless."

German reactions to Trump's threat to ditch nuclear treaty with Russia Germany, Europe 'extremely worried' The deputy leader of the FDP, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, told DW that he was deeply concerned about the type of cruise missiles that were prohibited by the treaty. He noted that it "concerns a category of weapons that would reach Europe — not the continental United States." He added that he believes the treaty can be saved "if all sides share the intention of avoiding a really ruinous arms race." Author: Rebecca Staudenmaier



Germany to talk with Russia

Shortly before the US decision was announced, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government would continue working with Russia after a US withdrawal.

"It is clear to us that Russia has violated this treaty," she said. "The important thing is to keep the window for dialogue open."

Read more: US: Russia's INF rhetoric a 'laughable' fraud

In December, the US said it would withdraw from the INF if Russia failed to prove its compliance by February 2.

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DW's US correspondent Michael Knigge contributed to this report.