Russia lifted its own restrictions and will facilitate the use of short- and medium-range missiles
According to the official Russian statement, the conditions for continuing to respect the moratorium no longer exist due to the fact that the United States has begun the deployment of missiles.
Vladimir Putin
Russia announced Monday that it will stop enforcing the self-imposed restriction on the deployment of ground-launched, short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and short- and medium-range missiles. The decision was made official by the Russian Foreign Ministry, which claimed that the United States is moving toward actual deployment of such weaponry in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
This moratorium had been maintained by Moscow since 2019, following the exit of both powers from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), an agreement signed in 1987 between the US and the then Soviet Union. The treaty banned the use of missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers launched from ground-based platforms and was for decades considered a pillar of stability in the international security architecture.
Russia blames the US
According to the official Russian statement, the conditions no longer exist to continue respecting the moratorium due to the fact that the U.S. has begun the deployment of self-made missiles in Europe and Asia-Pacific. "Since the situation is developing towards the actual deployment of U.S.-made land-based medium- and short-range missiles (...), the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have disappeared," the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.
Tension rising after Trump's ultimatum.
The Russian announcement comes amid increasing pressure from the Trump Administration to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine. On July 29, the U.S. president warned that he would impose tariffs on Russian exports within 10 days if the Kremlin did not stop the war. That deadline expires on August 8.
In addition, President Trump announced the deployment of nuclear submarines closer to Russia in response to recent statements by Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, who raised the Kremlin's threatening tone against the West.
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Russia backs away from stability commitments
The Kremlin assures that its actions seek to "counter threats," but at the same time accuses the United States of deploying systems such as the Typhon and Mk70 missiles together with partners such as Australia, the Philippines, and Denmark. It also denounces that NATO-allied countries are developing weaponry with ranges that were previously banned
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One more step towards global instability
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had already suggested in December 2024 that Russia might reconsider its moratorium if "destabilizing actions" by the United States persisted. In his most recent statement, Lavrov stated that Washington had "arrogantly ignored warnings that Russia lifted its own restrictions and will facilitate the use of short- and medium-range missiles by Russia and China" and has in practice begun to deploy such weapons in different regions of the world.
With this decision, Russia reopens a chapter of strategic rivalry reminiscent of the most tense times of the Cold War. The elimination of any voluntary commitment on the INF raises the risk of a new cycle of missile deployment in Europe, while the White House maintains military and economic pressure on the Kremlin in an attempt to force a negotiated solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
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