Russia ends moratorium on deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, citing Western inaction

Russia announced that its self-imposed moratorium on deploying intermediate- and shorter-range missiles is coming to an end, accusing the United States and its allies of failing to reciprocate Moscow’s restraint.

Speaking to Russia’s TASS news agency on Sunday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said the decision was compelled by “new and notably acute missile threats” posed by the West. “We have explicitly and straightforwardly declared that the implementation of our previously introduced unilateral moratorium on placing ground-launched INF missiles is approaching its logical endpoint,” Ryabkov stated.

Ryabkov pointed to what he described as accelerating U.S. military efforts to expand the deployment of such weapons. “Practical steps undertaken by the U.S. military in implementing their respective programs convince us that such activity will only intensify,” he said.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, signed in 1987 between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, banned ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. The landmark treaty was credited with significantly reducing nuclear tensions in Europe. However, the U.S. formally withdrew from the agreement in 2019, citing Russian violations—allegations Moscow denies.

Since the treaty’s collapse, Russia had maintained a unilateral moratorium on deploying such missile systems in Europe, urging NATO to do the same. Ryabkov said this gesture of restraint had not been appreciated or matched by the West.

He added that the “specific parameters” of Russia’s military response will be determined by its armed forces and national leadership.

The move is expected to raise concerns in European capitals already wary of growing security risks on the continent amid heightened East-West tensions.

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