MUNICH, February 15. /TASS/. The West will assess the situation around the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty to give a joint response to its suspension, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said at the Munich Security Conference on Friday.

"Unity makes us stronger, and the INF Treaty is another proof of that," she said. "NATO did right to condemn Russia’s violations of the INF Treaty and we are right to seek to maintain the Treaty," she added. "We have made it clear that we will give joint responses to the growing threat of Russian weapons. It includes joint assessments and the use of combined forces and means, which will be needed if Russia fails to make concessions," the German defense minister pointed out.

INF: from inception to suspension

The INF Treaty, signed by the Soviet Union and the United States on December 8, 1987, took effect on June 1, 1988. It applies to deployed and non-deployed ground-based missiles of intermediate range (1,000-5,000 kilometers) and shorter range (500-1,000 kilometers). Washington on many occasions had accused Russia of violating the accord, but Moscow vehemently dismissed all accusations and, in its turn, expressed grievances over Washington’s non-compliance.

On February 1, US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced the suspension of Washington’s obligations under the INF starting February 2. Washington is determined to withdraw from the treaty in six months unless Russia returns to "real and verifiable" compliance.

On February 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was also suspending the agreement. He handed down instructions to refrain from initiating talks with Washington on the issue and stressed that the US needed to show willingness for an equal and substantive dialogue.