Russia lifts restrictions on deploying short- and medium-range missiles.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the country no longer considers itself bound by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).
According to RIA Novosti, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on August 4th saying that Russia no longer considers itself bound by restrictions on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles.
“Russia has directly called on NATO countries to declare a reciprocal moratorium on the deployment of weapons previously banned by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). To US allies in the Asia-Pacific region, Russia has called for support in efforts to prevent a missile arms race in the region. However, Russia’s initiatives have not received a response. Therefore, the Russian Foreign Ministry declares 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 statement said.
According to the Ministry, the country's leaders will decide on specific response measures. These will be based on interdisciplinary analysis of the scale of INF deployments on land by the US and other Western countries, as well as the overall developments in the field of international security and strategic stability.
The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the steps taken by the "collective West" contribute to the formation and increase of an destabilizing missile potential in regions bordering Russia, posing a direct strategic threat to Russia's national security. This constitutes a direct threat to the country's security.
According to Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, the lifting of the ban on deploying medium- and short-range missiles is a new reality that Russia's adversaries must now take into account.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement on lifting the ban on deploying medium- and short-range missiles is a result of the anti-Russian policy of NATO countries. This is a new reality that all our adversaries will have to take into account. Expect further steps," Medvedev wrote in X.
