Russia has indicated that it could soon start deploying intermediate-range missiles, formally bringing to an end a voluntary halt on their manufacture and deployment. This move is a dramatic escalation, as the weapons were once prohibited under a Cold War agreement with America.
The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, under which both Washington and Moscow committed to phase out ground-launched missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (around 300 to 3,400 miles), collapsed in 2019 when then-President Donald Trump pulled America out of the pact, accusing Russia of non-compliance.
"There are no limitations in Russia anymore in this respect. Russia no longer feels itself restricted in any shape or form," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a press conference. He went on to add that Moscow has the right now to take "measures of proportion" were it to deploy such missiles—although any such move, he added, would not necessarily be made public.
President Vladimir Putin had already set the stage for this policy change last year, when he suggested resuming the manufacture of intermediate-range missiles—some of which have nuclear payload capacity—after U.S. military exercises in Denmark of this class of launch systems.
Russia has also charged the United States with deploying comparable missile systems in the Philippines and Australia for combined military exercises, further fueling tensions.
In a recent release, Russia's foreign ministry asserted, "The United States and its allies not only openly outlined plans to deploy American land-based INF missiles in different regions, but also already have made considerable progress in the practical implementation of their intentions."
The move comes on the heels of a statement by Donald Trump about the deployment of two nuclear submarines "in the area," a seeming reaction amidst a social media exchange with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
Medvedev, who spoke publicly for the first time since that virtual confrontation, threatened on Monday that Russia's foes should prepare for what is in store for them. "This is new reality all our opponents will have to live with. Expect further steps," he tweeted.
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