Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to resume production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons if the United States confirms its intention to deploy missiles in Germany or elsewhere in Europe.
"If the United States implements such plans, we will consider ourselves exempt from the unilateral moratorium adopted earlier on the deployment of medium- and short-range strike capabilities," Putin said at a naval parade in St. Petersburg.
Such missiles, which can travel between 500 and 5,500 km, were the subject of an arms control treaty signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987, AFP reported.
But both Washington and Moscow withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, accusing each other of violations.
Russia subsequently said it would not resume production of such missiles until the United States deployed missiles abroad.
In early July, Washington and Berlin announced that the "episodic deployment" of U.S. long-range missiles, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, in Germany would begin in 2026.
Putin said "important Russian administrative and military sites" would come within range of such missiles, which "in the future could be equipped with nuclear warheads so that our territories are within about 10 minutes" of a strike.
"This situation reminds us of the events of the Cold War related to the deployment of US medium-range missiles in Europe," Putin said.
In mid-July, the Kremlin already warned that the proposed U.S. deployment would mean European capitals would become targets for Russian missiles. | BGNES
