Russia Considers Lifting Ban on Intermediate-Range Missile Deployment Amid Tensions with the West

Russia is contemplating the possibility of lifting its self-imposed suspension on the deployment of intermediate- and short-range missiles, a senior diplomatic official revealed amid heightened tensions with the West regarding Ukraine and security in Europe.

In an interview released on Sunday by the state-owned TASS news agency, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov indicated that the moratorium, which was established following the breakdown of a critical arms control agreement with the United States, is “reaching its inevitable conclusion.”

He criticized Washington and its allies for not recognizing what he referred to as Russia’s restraint in the environment following the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and noted that Moscow feels “compelled to react” to the emergence of “significant missile threats.”

The moratorium is linked to the 1987 INF Treaty, a significant Cold War agreement signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

The INF Treaty prohibited both the U.S. and Russia from developing, testing, and deploying ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,500 kilometers.

The United States exited the INF Treaty in 2019, alleging that Russia had breached the agreement by creating and deploying a missile identified as the 9M729, a claim that the Kremlin denied.

U.S. officials assert that this missile, part of Russia’s Iskander missile system, surpasses the 500-kilometer range limit and poses a risk to targets deep within Europe, particularly if it is stationed in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

Ryabkov also criticized NATO countries for their increasing military support to Ukraine, particularly the recent decision by several European nations to allow Kyiv to utilize Western-supplied long-range weaponry to attack targets in Russia.

“Leaders in the EU and NATO are persistently urging Kyiv to escalate hostilities, supplying it with arms, equipment, and assurances of further assistance,” Ryabkov stated. “Diversions and provocations are being orchestrated and executed.”

Last summer, President Vladimir Putin expressed that Russia should resume the production of intermediate- and short-range missiles, portraying the action as a necessary response to U.S. activities.

«We need to initiate the production of these strike systems and then, depending on the actual circumstances, decide where to place them if needed to ensure our safety,» Putin stated during a meeting of Russia’s Security Council.