Moscow: Russia has formally announced its withdrawal from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The Kremlin has blamed the American deployment of nuclear submarines and “the actions of Western countries” for creating a “direct threat” to Russia’s security.
The INF Treaty, signed in 1987 by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan, aimed to eliminate an entire class of ground-launched nuclear missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km. It effectively banned short- and medium-range nuclear weapons, significantly reducing the risk of nuclear confrontation in Europe.
Although the United States withdrew from the treaty in 2019 during Trump’s first term, citing alleged Russian violations, Moscow had, at the time, refrained from deploying such missiles, stating it would only do so if Washington acted first.
Following the US exit, Russia declared a self-imposed moratorium, choosing not to position INF-range missiles unless provoked by American deployments. In a statement reported by Al Jazeera, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that evolving security dynamics in Europe and the Asia-Pacific have forced Moscow to reconsider its position on missile deployments.
