Moscow, August 5 – Russia has announced that it no longer regards itself bound by a self-imposed moratorium on deploying nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles. This move signals a potential new arms race as tensions between Moscow and Washington escalate due to the ongoing conflict over Ukraine.
According to a statement issued Monday by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the decision is a response to the United States and its allies' efforts to develop and prepare for the deployment of intermediate-range weapons in Europe and elsewhere. Notably, the ministry mentioned U.S. plans to station Typhoon and Dark Eagle missiles in Germany starting next year.
Such actions by the U.S. and its allies are described as creating “destabilizing missile potentials" near Russia, posing a "direct threat to the security of our country” with severe ramifications for both regional and global stability. This includes a perilous increase in tensions among nuclear powers.
While the Kremlin has not specified its potential responses, President Vladimir Putin has previously declared intentions to deploy Russia's new Oreshnik missiles in Belarus, an ally and neighboring nation, later this year.
The Foreign Ministry statement further stated that "Decisions on specific parameters of response measures will be made by the leadership of the Russian Federation based on an interdepartmental analysis of the scale of deployment of American and other Western land-based intermediate-range missiles, as well as the development of the overall situation in the area of international security and strategic stability.”
This announcement from Russia follows U.S. President Donald Trump's recent directive to reposition two American nuclear submarines in reaction to what he termed highly provocative statements by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and current deputy chairman of its Security Council. This directive coincides with an approaching deadline for the Kremlin to agree to a peace settlement regarding Ukraine, as set by Trump.
Medvedev, who has made multiple incendiary comments and nuclear threats seemingly to align with President Putin, responded to Trump's ultimatum regarding a peace deal and potential sanctions by cautioning against “playing the ultimatum game with Russia.” He added that “each new ultimatum is a threat and a step toward war.”
Medvedev also reacted to the Foreign Ministry's statement, attributing Russia's withdrawal from the moratorium to “NATO countries' anti-Russian policy.” He noted on X, “This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps.”
Intermediate-range missiles, which can travel 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles), were prohibited under the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. After both Washington and Moscow left the treaty in 2019 due to mutual allegations of violations, Moscow had committed to a self-imposed moratorium on their deployment until the U.S. took similar actions.
The collapse of the INF Treaty has rekindled fears reminiscent of the Cold War-era European missile crisis, during which both the U.S. and Soviet Union stationed such missiles within the region during the 1980s. These weapons are considered particularly destabilizing since they can reach targets faster than intercontinental ballistic missiles, escalating the risk of a nuclear conflict due to potential false launch alerts.
The chief of Russia's missile forces has claimed that the new Oreshnik intermediate-range missile, first used against Ukraine in November, can reach all of Europe. The Oreshnik can be equipped with either conventional or nuclear warheads. President Putin has lauded its capabilities, highlighting its ability to carry multiple warheads traveling at speeds up to Mach 10, making them nearly impossible to intercept and immensely powerful, even with conventional strikes.
Putin has cautioned Western countries that Russia might deploy these missiles against NATO allies of Ukraine that permit Kyiv to use their long-range missiles to attack inside Russia. (AP)
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