Macron calls to discuss with China and Russia a new arms control treaty

PARIS (Sputnik) – It is important to involve China in the negotiations on a new arms control treaty, but that should not be a precondition for dialogue with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference.

The president recalled in the capital of the United Kingdom, which hosts the NATO summit, that the US "wants to involve China" in negotiations on a new agreement that should replace the INF Treaty of medium and short-range missiles.

"I would like Europe to be part of the new treaty, and then we could discuss it in the framework of NATO, and later, on this basis, hold negotiations with Russia and China, I think it is relevant, but it should not be a precondition for negotiations with Russia, which mainly concern Europe, "said the French leader.

Macron believes that, in order to achieve the security and stability of Europe, it is essential to initiate a new process that allows obtaining guarantees equivalent to those included in the INF Treaty, taking into account the development of modern weapons and the interests of all parties.

"We must find a legal framework that protects us from the deployment of weapons from Russia, which would have a negative impact on the European territory," the French president added.

According to the head of state, the "threat" of Russian Iskander rockets for Poland and the Baltic Sea countries must be taken into account in the new negotiations.

The INF Treaty, signed in December 1987 between the then USSR and the United States, prohibited ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.

On August 2, Washington definitively broke the INF Treaty, claiming that Russia infringed it.

Russia also suspended its commitment to the INF Treaty in response to the US, but at the same time made it clear that it did not wish to engage in a new arms race, maintained its proposals for disarmament and would wait for the other party to be ready to resume talks about it. .