NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke on Wednesday for the first time since President Donald Trump said he was withdrawing the US from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, citing Russian noncompliance.

At a press conference in Brussels, Stoltenberg said the US was complying with the arms control treaty, but the problem was Russia. The treaty could not be effective if only one side was respecting it, he said. NATO was still assessing the implications of the US decision.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary-general

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) was signed in 1987 as an arms control agreement between the United States and the then Soviet Union. It came into force in 1988 and eliminated all nuclear and conventional missiles, as well as their launchers, with a range of 500 to 1,000 kilometers (310 to 620 miles) and 1,000 to 5,500 kilometers. It did not cover sea-launched missiles. By 1991, 2,692 missiles had been dismantled.

Read more: Donald Trump's INF exit: Masterminded by John Bolton, to Russia's benefit

Stoltenberg said "we don't have an effective INF Treaty" due to the violations by Russia. "It is not something that can go on," he said.

DW correspondent in Brussels Teri Schultz, who attended the conference in Brussels on Wednesday, said that Stoltenberg did not believe there would be new nuclear weapons stations in Europe as a result of the US withdrawal from the treaty with Russia. "I don't foresee that European allies will deploy more nuclear weapons as a response," he said.

Stoltenberg was speaking ahead of the largest NATO joint exercises in years. Trident Juncture 2018 is being held in Norway with 50,000 personnel from 31 countries, including Finland and Sweden, in land and sea manoeuvers. About 10,000 vehicles and 150 aircraft will be involved in exercises based around the defense of the Nordic state against an imagined attack.

The cost of Germany's participation has been estimated at €90 million ($102 million).

Among the 65 ships participating, the USS Harry S Truman became part of the first US carrier to sail in Norwegian waters since 1987:

The Canadian army is bringing over 200 vehicles to join the exercises:

The exercises are due to run until November 7.

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



jm/rt (Reuters, AFP)

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