Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that Russia will likely restart the production of short and intermediate-range missiles. This decision, he asserts, is a direct response to the deployment of nuclear-capable missiles by the United States in various parts of the world.
The United States formally withdrew from the landmark 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia in 2019, citing alleged violations by Moscow. The Kremlin denied these accusations. Following the US withdrawal, Russia imposed a moratorium on its own development of missiles previously banned under the INF treaty.
“It is known that the United States not only produces these missile systems but has already brought them to Europe for exercises in Denmark,” Putin stated during a meeting of Russia’s Security Council. “It was recently announced that they are in the Philippines. It is not known whether they took the missiles out of there or not.”
Putin emphasized that Russia is forced to respond to these actions. “Apparently, we need to start manufacturing these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where – if necessary to ensure our safety – to place them,” he declared.
The last remaining arms-control pact between Washington and Moscow is the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). This treaty limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. New START is set to expire in 2026, and the lack of dialogue on a successor deal has sparked concerns among arms control advocates.
This development further intensifies tensions between Russia and the United States, raising serious concerns about the future of global security and the potential for a new arms race.
