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By Gabe Whisnant and Sonam Sheth
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Russia said Monday it is no longer bound by a self‑imposed moratorium on deploying land‑based intermediate‑range nuclear missiles, blaming United States and NATO plans to station similar weapons in Europe and the Asia‑Pacific.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email on Monday.
Why It Matters
The U.S. and Russia signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF) in 1987, but the U.S. withdrew from it in 2019, during President Donald Trump's first term, while accusing Russia of repeatedly violating the agreement.
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Moscow signaled that it, too, would withdraw from the agreement last December, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov telling the state news agency Ria Novosti that the agreement was no longer viable while accusing the U.S. of deploying the weapons globally.
Later Monday, Russian former President Dmitry Medvedev blamed NATO countries for the abandonment of a moratorium on short- and medium-range nuclear missiles and said Moscow would take further steps in response.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement on the withdrawal of the moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles is the result of NATO countries' anti-Russian policy," Medvedev posted in English on X. "This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps."
Tensions between Washington and Moscow have reached a boiling point in recent months, particularly related to the Trump administration's efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Russia's war against neighboring Ukraine.
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What To Know
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Washington of escalating tensions by testing, producing and moving systems once banned under the defunct Intermediate‑Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
Moscow said the deployments, including recent U.S. missile activity in Denmark, the Philippines and Australia, pose a "direct threat" to Russian security. The Kremlin warned it will take "military‑technical" steps in response to restore what it calls a strategic balance.
"In specific terms, since 2023, we have been recording precedents of the transfer of American systems capable of ground-based launch of intermediate-range missiles to European NATO countries for 'testing' of these weapons during exercises that have a clear anti-Russian focus," the foreign ministry said in its statement.
What People Are Saying
The Russian foreign ministry said, in part: "Against the backdrop of targeted steps by the United States, as a result of which the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) ceased to exist in 2019, and in subsequent years, the Russian Federation has proactively made efforts to maintain restraint in this area. In particular, this was reflected in statements made at the highest level in 2019-2020, which provided for the voluntary adoption by our country of unilateral self-restrictions on the deployment of ground-based INF missiles until similar American-made missile weapons appear in the relevant regions of the world."
It added: "At the same time, Russia directly called on NATO countries to declare a reciprocal moratorium on the deployment of weapons systems previously banned under the INF Treaty, and on US allies in the Asia-Pacific region to support our efforts to prevent an arms race in this region. However, it must be noted that Russian initiatives have not been reciprocated. The US and its allies have not only openly outlined plans to deploy American land-based INF missiles in various regions, but have also already made significant progress in the practical implementation of their intentions."
Mark Esper, then the U.S. Secretary of Defense, said when announcing Washington's withdrawal from the agreement in 2019: "Russia has failed to comply with its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and as such, the United States has withdrawn from the INF Treaty effective today, Aug. 2, 2019. This withdrawal is a direct result of Russia's sustained and repeated violations of the treaty over many years and multiple presidential administrations."
Update 8/4/25, 1:40 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 8/4/25, 8:06 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional remarks.
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