Russia has formally declared an end to its self-imposed moratorium on deploying nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, a move that significantly heightens tensions with the United States and raises the specter of a new global arms race.
In a statement released Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the decision was a direct response to American and NATO plans to deploy intermediate-range weapons in Europe and beyond. Specifically, the ministry cited US plans to position Typhoon and Dark Eagle missiles in Germany starting in 2026.
“These actions create destabilizing missile potentials in close proximity to Russia, posing a direct threat to our national security,” the ministry said, warning of “significant harmful consequences for regional and global stability, including a dangerous escalation of tensions between nuclear powers.”
Though Russia did not announce specific deployments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made it clear that the country now feels entirely unconstrained.
“Russia no longer has any limitations,” Peskov said. “We believe we have the right to take respective steps if necessary.”
The Foreign Ministry added that decisions regarding the type and location of missile deployments will be made after a broad interdepartmental review, factoring in US and allied deployments as well as the global security climate.
The announcement comes amid renewed confrontations between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine. Former US President Donald Trump recently ordered two US nuclear submarines repositioned, citing “highly provocative” comments by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Trump, who is currently seeking re-election, has also imposed a deadline for the Kremlin to accept a peace deal or face additional sanctions.
Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, responded with warnings of war and defended Russia’s shift in missile policy as “the result of NATO countries’ anti-Russian policy.”
“This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with,” he wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. “Expect further steps.”
The latest developments follow the 2019 collapse of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which banned land-based missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles). The treaty had been a cornerstone of Cold War-era arms control, but was dissolved after the Trump administration withdrew, accusing Russia of violations which Moscow denied.
Since the treaty’s demise, both sides have advanced development of weapons once banned under the pact, though Russia had maintained a voluntary moratorium until now.
Russia’s new Oreshnik missile, first used in Ukraine last November, is at the center of its new posture. With a range capable of reaching all of Europe, it can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads. Russian missile force officials claim it travels at speeds of up to Mach 10 and is resistant to interception.
President Vladimir Putin has praised Oreshnik’s potential, saying a coordinated conventional strike using several of the missiles could inflict destruction on par with a nuclear attack. He has previously warned that NATO members could be targeted if they allow Ukraine to use their long-range missiles against Russian territory.
The prospect of Russian missiles being redeployed in Europe has reignited fears of a repeat of the 1980s missile crisis, when the US and the Soviet Union positioned nuclear weapons across the continent, heightening the risk of accidental war. Intermediate-range missiles are considered especially destabilizing because of their short flight time, leaving decision-makers with little time to assess threats or prevent potential miscalculations.
As tensions mount and new weapons enter the field, experts warn that strategic restraint is crumbling on both sides and the world may be sliding back into a nuclear brinkmanship not seen since the Cold War.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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