U.S. officials recently held a closed-door meeting at NATO headquarters to brief European alliance members on President Trump’s intent to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Reuters reported Friday.
Washington had earlier announced its plan to pull out of the 1987 pact prohibiting land-based short and intermediate nuclear and conventional missiles due to alleged Russian violations.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg seemed to echo the U.S. position by accusing Moscow of having breached treaty terms by developing the intermediate-range SSC-8 cruise missile.
Nevertheless, NATO diplomats present at the recent classified proceedings in Brussels revealed that European envoys sought to prevent the U.S. from leaving the INF.
Alliance members reportedly encouraged American officials to either persuade Russia to cease activities allegedly in treaty violation or renegotiate the treaty altogether so that China would be included.