Russia abandons its moratorium on intermediate-range missiles, citing Western actions

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Moscow will no longer adhere to its self-imposed restrictions regarding the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles (INF), stating that the conditions for its unilateral moratorium have ceased to exist due to actions taken by Western countries.

“The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has determined that the conditions for maintaining the unilateral moratorium have disappeared and is authorized to report that the Russian Federation will no longer adhere to these previously accepted self-imposed restrictions,” a statement from the ministry said.

“The West’s actions are destabilizing”

According to the ministry’s assessment, the activities of Western countries are leading to the creation and increase of “destabilizing missile potentials” in regions neighboring Russia, posing a direct threat to Moscow’s security.

The ministry noted that such developments could have devastating consequences for regional and global stability, emphasizing the possibility of a “dangerous escalation of tensions” between nuclear powers.

The statement indicated that in response to emerging threats, it is imperative for Russia to take “reciprocal military-technical measures” to ensure strategic balance.

The final decision will be made by the Russian leadership

“Decisions regarding the specific parameters of response measures will be made by the leadership of the Russian Federation based on an inter-agency analysis of the scale of deployment of American and other Western land-based intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, as well as the overall situation in the field of international security and strategic stability,” read the statement published on the ministry’s website.

Russian authorities had repeatedly raised the possibility of lifting the moratorium, especially after the US announced it would deploy long-range weapons in Germany in 2026.

President Vladimir Putin stated in November that Moscow was developing intermediate- and shorter-range missiles in response to Washington’s actions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also indicated that Russia could deploy such missiles in the Asia-Pacific region.

The treaty was signed in 1987

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was signed in 1987. The Soviet Union and the US committed not to produce or test land-based ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers to reduce international tensions.

Between 1988 and 1991, the two countries destroyed a total of 2,692 intermediate- and shorter-range missiles with 4,000 warheads. Of these, 1,846 were eliminated by the Soviet Union and 846 by the US.

In 2018, the US accused Russia of violating the treaty by developing 9M729 cruise missiles with a range exceeding 500 kilometers and withdrew from the agreement the following year.

Russia, in turn, had voiced objections to the US deployment of Mk-41 launch systems in Romania. In July 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law suspending the INF Treaty.