Russia supports making INF Treaty multilateral to include NATO states, China – ambassador

Russia supports making the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty a multilateral agreement to include not only China, but also NATO states, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov has said. “Russia has been and is in favor of making this treaty multilateral. To ensure that not only the People’s Republic of China would enter it, but that all NATO states and, primarily, France and the UK, should be part of it,” he said.

The diplomat noted that the idea is some 10 years old. “It was Russia’s initiative when we proposed to make the treaty multilateral,” Sputnik quoted the diplomat as saying. “Then, we first addressed it to the countries of NATO and, of course, to France and the UK.” Back then, Russia was told that no one had such missiles and that they would not need to join, Antonov said. “Unfortunately, our efforts did not succeed and we could not make it multilateral,” he added. The US plans to withdraw from the INF Treaty.