On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for resuming production of intermediate-range missiles previously banned under a now-defunct treaty with the United States.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which prohibited ground-based nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges between 500-5,500 kilometers (310-3,410 miles), was considered a key arms control agreement when signed by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
The U.S. withdrew from the treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations.
“We need to start production of these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, decide where—if necessary to ensure our safety—to place them,” Putin said at a meeting of Russia’s national security council.
Putin stated that Russia hadn’t produced such missiles since the treaty’s dissolution, but “today it is known that the United States not only produces these missile systems but has already brought them to Europe for exercises, to Denmark. Quite recently, it was announced that they are in the Philippines.”
Since withdrawing from the treaty, the U.S. Army has advanced in developing a conventional, ground-launched, midrange missile capability called the Typhon, which would have been banned under the INF. The Typhon system utilizes two Navy missiles, the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile and Standard Missile-6.
The U.S. Army tested the system during an exercise in the Philippines this spring.
The end of the INF Treaty marked a significant deterioration in U.S.-Russia relations.
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The last remaining arms-control agreement between Washington and Moscow is the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which limits each country to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. It is set to expire in 2026, and the lack of progress on a successor deal concerns arms control advocates.
Putin’s statement comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and the West over the conflict in Ukraine and concerns about possible nuclear attacks.
In June, Putin addressed international news executives about Moscow’s nuclear weapons policy.
“We have a nuclear doctrine, look at what it says,” he stated. “If someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all means at our disposal. This should not be taken lightly or superficially.”
