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Presidents Trump and Putin, November 11, 2017 in Danang, Vietnam, for the APEC forum. REUTERS / Jorge Silva

The United States officially released Friday, August 2, the Treaty on Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces, signed in 1987 with Russia, paving the way for a new arms race.

" The INF [FNI in French] treaty has been useful to us, but it only works if both parties respect it, " Pentagon chief Mark Esper said recently. " The United States will respect the treaty and all their obligations until August 2, after which we will do what is in our interest, " he told Senate officials.

The withdrawal procedure, on the American side, was started last February . Russian side, Vladimir Putin ratified on July 3 the suspension of the participation of his country and lack of evolution, the withdrawal of the two countries causes the end of the INF treaty. The latter, by abolishing the use of a whole series of missiles with a range varying from 500 to 5 500 km, had made it possible to eliminate Russian and Pershing SS20 ballistic missiles deployed in Europe.

Although Europeans have expressed their concerns about the risk of a new arms race in Europe, NATO has officially approved the US position, citing the Russian missile 9M729 which, according to the West, violates the INF Treaty. Moscow denies , insisting that its new missile has a maximum range of " 480 km ".

Senior Russian military officials present the 9M729 missile system at the Patriot Congress in Moscow in January 2019. REUTERS / Maxim Shemetov

The end of the treaty, signed in 1987 by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, suits Washington well, as noted last month by former US Defense Minister Ash Carter. " From a military point of view, not a political point of view, it's not that bad ," he remarked at a conference at the Council on Foreign Relations research center.

China in the crosshairs

In fact, the Pentagon is pleased to be able to modernize its arsenal to counter the rise of China , which seeks to assert its military supremacy in Asia. " Most of China's arsenal is mid-range missiles, and we need to make sure we have the same capabilities if we unfortunately have to come into conflict with them someday, " said Mark Esper.

With the end of the INF Treaty, there will remain only one bilateral disarmament agreement inherited from the 1990s: the Start treaty that expires in 2021. Interviewed by the Interfax agency, Mikhail Gorbachev is pessimistic, reports our correspondent in Moscow, Daniel Vallot . For the former Soviet leader, the end of the INF Treaty is a " threat to security not only in Europe, but also in the rest of the world. "

Guterres calls on both countries not to forget the lessons of the past

The UN secretary-general has called on both countries not to forget the lessons of the past, reports our correspondent in New York, Loubna Anaki . " The INF Treaty is an essential agreement that helps stability in Europe and has ended the cold war. Today, the world will lose a valuable tool against nuclear war. Both parties should avoid escalation and agree on a new arms control treaty , "said Guterres.

For Quentin Lopinot, associate researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, if the end of the INF will not necessarily lead to a new arms race, there will no longer, however, safeguards allowing to protect them. " At that time, a development of arsenals would be more in Asia than Europe, " he predicts.

Washington has promised not to deploy new nuclear missiles in Europe, but has made no promises about the deployment of conventional weapons.