Merkel urges China to join disarmament efforts

Published February 16, 2019

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling on China to join international disarmament negotiations after the collapse of a Cold War-era treaty on nuclear weapons in Europe.

The U.S. earlier this month announced that it was pulling out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, accusing Russia of violating it. Moscow followed suit, strongly denying any breaches. The U.S. administration also worried that the pact was an obstacle to efforts to counter intermediate-range missiles deployed by China.

Merkel told the Munich Security Conference Saturday that the U.S. withdrawal was "inevitable" because of Russian violations. But she noted the end of a treaty conceived "essentially for Europe" leaves Europe trying to secure future disarmament to protect its own interests.

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