Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the resumption of domestic production of intermediate-range missiles banned under a now-broken treaty with the United States.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which banned land-based missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,410 miles), was seen as a landmark treaty in arms control when it was signed by then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.
The United States withdrew from the treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations.
A Russian military officer walks in front of a 9M729 land-based cruise missile on display in Kubinka, outside Moscow, as Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the resumption of production of intermediate-range missiles banned under a now-broken treaty with the United States. (Pavel Golovkin/AP)
Putin said Russia has not produced such missiles since abandoning the treaty in 2019, but “today we know that the United States is not only producing these missile systems, but has already brought them to Europe, to Denmark for exercises. Very recently, it was announced that they are in the Philippines.”
Since the treaty was scrapped, the United States has been testing missiles that would have been banned under the INF Treaty.
Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported in April that U.S. Pacific Command commander Gen. Charles Flynn said such missiles would be deployed in the region by the end of the year, the report said, marking the first such deployment since the treaty expired.
The termination of the INF treaty marked a milestone in the deterioration of relations between the United States and Russia.
The last remaining arms control treaty between Washington and Moscow is the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which limits each country's deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550 and missiles and bombers to 700.
The treaty is due to expire in 2026, but the lack of dialogue to conclude a successor treaty has concerned arms control advocates.
Putin's comments came amid rising tensions between Russia and the West over the conflict in Ukraine and concerns about a possible nuclear attack.
Putin spoke to international media leaders in June about Moscow's use of nuclear weapons.
“We have a nuclear doctrine. See what's written there,” he said. “We believe that if anybody's actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we may use all available means. This is not something that should be taken lightly or superficially.”
