Russia will resume production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons if the US confirms its intention to deploy missiles in Germany or elsewhere in Europe.
This was emphasized by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of the annual parade of the Russian fleet in St. Petersburg, in which Chinese, Indian and Algerian ships participated this year.
“If the US implements such plans, we will consider ourselves exempt from the previously adopted unilateral moratorium on the development of medium- and short-range strike capabilities,” Putin noted.
These weapons, with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers, were already the subject of a nuclear arms limitation treaty between Washington and Moscow, the USSR-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
Russia and the US withdrew from the treaty in 2019, accusing each other of no longer respecting its terms. Moscow had, however, announced that it would not resume production of such missiles until the US continued to deploy them abroad.
In July, Washington and Berlin announced their intention to “begin deploying sporadic long-range fire capabilities” in Germany by 2026, referring to SM-6 missiles, Tomahawk missiles and hypersonic weapons still under development.
The Kremlin had already warned in mid-July that European capitals would become legitimate targets for Russia in the event of the deployment of US missiles on the European continent.