Russia says its moratorium on deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles comes to end

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The moratorium imposed by Russia on the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles (INF) is approaching its logical conclusion, as the West has failed to appreciate Moscow's restraint, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Sunday.

Speaking in an interview with the Russian state TASS news agency, Ryabkov pointed out that US President Donald Trump made it clear that he intends to further expand the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles.

"Practical steps undertaken by the US military in implementing their respective programs convince us that such activity will only intensify," he said.

Russia's demonstrated restraint "in the post-INF era" has not been reciprocated or appreciated by the US and its allies, Ryabkov said.

"Consequently, 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 remarked.

Russia is compelled to react to "new and notably acute missile threats," he stressed.

"Specific parameters of such responses lie with our military and, of course, with the leadership of the Russian Federation," he stated.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) was a landmark Cold War agreement signed in December 1987 by the US and the Soviet Union. It banned the development, testing, and deployment of all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 km and 5,500 km.

The treaty contributed significantly to reducing the risk of accidental nuclear conflict in Europe.

In 2019, the US withdrew from the INF Treaty, thus terminating it. Since then, Russia has maintained a unilateral moratorium on deploying medium- and short-range missiles in Europe, despite growing concerns over NATO's missile buildup and lack of reciprocity from the West.