ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2018) Gianmatteo Ferrari of Italy's Lega party expressed hope in comments to Sputnik that the United States and Russia may still rescue their Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, even after the US decision to pull out from it, to avert new threats to peace.
US President Donald Trump said earlier he wanted to pull out of the Cold War-era treaty over Russia's alleged violations. The move needs to be ratified by Congress, which is heading into midterm polls.
"I hope that if President Trump wants to change the nuclear weapons treaty, he will come to an agreement with Russia. The planet certainly does not need new threats," Ferrari said.
He argued that Trump's decision to abandon unilaterally the 1987 agreement was "certainly not good news either for Europe or for the whole world."
The European politician suggested this was merely an electoral campaign stunt by Trump, whose Republicans face an uphill battle in November to maintain their grip on the parliament.
"I do not understand this decision by President Trump. I hope it's just an electoral throw in anticipation of the mid-term elections," he said.
The INF Treaty, a major arms control agreement, was signed by former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and then-US President Ronald Reagan back in 1987, when the Cold War between the two nations was still ongoing. The two sides agreed to destroy all cruise or ground-launched ballistic missiles that have ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 and 3,400 miles).
Moscow and Washington decided that the treaty would have an unlimited duration and each side could terminate it by providing compelling evidence substantiating its decision.
