French President Emmanuel Macron holds a news conference at the European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday to stress the importance of a Cold War-era nuclear treaty Trump said Washington would withdraw from, Macron’s office said in a statement on Monday.

“The President of the Republic underlined the importance of this treaty, especially with regards to European security and our strategic stability,” the statement said.

Over the weekend, Trump said Washington would withdraw from the landmark treaty that eliminated nuclear missiles from Europe because Russia was violating the pact, triggering a warning of retaliatory measures from Moscow.

Macron and Trump also discussed the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the situation in Syria, the statement said.