Russia has declared that it will no longer adhere to a treaty that prohibited short and medium-range missiles.
The decision follows concerns over the deployment of US missiles in Europe, leading Moscow to abandon its prior commitments to self-restraint, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, established in 1987, saw the United States and the former Soviet Union agree to ban ground-launched missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,500 kilometres.
Signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the agreement was already rendered void when the US withdrew in 2019 during Donald Trump’s first presidency.
Although Moscow had consistently claimed compliance with the treaty, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had previously hinted at a definitive withdrawal if the US failed to honour the original terms.
Conversely, the US had long accused Russia of violating the pact.
President Putin has also threatened to respond to the planned deployment of US missiles in Germany, starting in 2026.
The German military says these missiles are intended as a deterrent in response to Russian Iskander missiles stationed in the Kaliningrad exclave, which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads and reaching German cities.
