Russia lifts restrictions on deployment of short- and medium-range missiles
Russia's Foreign Ministry said the country no longer considers itself bound by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
According to RIA Novosti, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on August 4 that Russia no longer considers itself bound by restrictions on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles.
“Russia has directly appealed to NATO countries to declare a reciprocal moratorium on the deployment of weapons banned by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. To the US allies in the Asia-Pacific region, Russia called for support in efforts to prevent a missile arms race in the region. However, Russia's initiatives have not been reciprocated. Therefore, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium no longer exist, and Russia no longer considers itself bound by the previous voluntary restrictions,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
According to the Ministry, the country's leadership will decide on specific response measures. They will be based on an interagency analysis of the scale of the INF deployment on land by the United States and other Western countries, as well as the general development of the situation in the field of international security and strategic stability.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the steps taken by the “collective West” contribute to the formation and growth of destabilizing missile potential in regions adjacent to Russia, which pose a direct strategic threat to Russia’s national security. This poses a direct threat to the country’s security.
The lifting of the ban on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles is a new reality that Russia's opponents now have to take into account, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.
"The statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry on lifting the ban on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles is a result of the anti-Russian policy of NATO countries. This is a new reality that all our opponents will have to take into account. Expect further steps," Medvedev wrote on X.
