Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Friday that Russia should resume the production of small and medium-range missiles previously banned under an arms treaty with the United States that has now expired. He was referring to missiles with ranges between 500 to 5,500 kilometers (approximately 300 to 3,400 miles), which were restricted during the Cold War under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
The US had accused Russia in 2019 of non-compliance with this treaty and subsequently withdrew from the agreement. The Kremlin then stated that it would continue to refrain from producing such missiles if the United States avoided deploying systems capable of reaching deep inside Russia. In a televised address to his top security officers, Putin said that the US has started using such capabilities in military exercises in Denmark, which are competent in striking up to Russian soil.
Putin warned, 'We need to respond to this development and decide on our next actions in this region. It seems necessary for us to commence the production of these strike systems. And we will later decide where to deploy them for our security, depending on the circumstances.'
In the rivalry to become superpowers, both nations signed several treaties during the Cold War to limit the race for nuclear weapons and lower tensions. These have been crumbling or expiring in recent years. Last year, Russia stepped out of the New START Treaty, which was the last standing nuclear arms agreement between the two sides. In support of Kyiv amidst conflicts with Russia, the US has supplied Ukraine with short-range missiles. This has led Putin to order the production of new intermediate and short-range missiles in response.
