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On Monday, Russia announced it would no longer be bound by its self-imposed moratorium on deploying land-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles. The move came in response to U.S. and NATO plans to station similar weapons in Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions.
The White House was contacted for comment via email but did not respond at the time of publication.
### Why It Matters
In 1987, the United States and Russia signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which banned such missiles. However, the U.S. withdrew from the treaty in 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first term, accusing Russia of repeated violations. Moscow followed suit last December, signaling its intention to withdraw from the agreement.
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Tensions between Washington and Moscow have escalated recently, particularly concerning the Trump administration’s efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Russia’s war with Ukraine.
### What To Know
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of escalating tensions by testing, producing, and moving systems once banned under the INF Treaty. The ministry stated that recent U.S. missile activity in Denmark, the Philippines, and Australia posed a “direct threat” to Russian security. It warned that Russia would take “military-technical” steps to restore strategic balance.
“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 during exercises with a clear anti-Russian focus,” said the foreign ministry statement.
### What People Are Saying
**Russian Foreign Ministry:** “In response to targeted steps by the United States that led to the INF Treaty’s demise in 2019, Russia proactively maintained restraint. In particular, this was reflected in statements made at the highest level in 2019-2020, which included voluntary unilateral self-restrictions on deploying ground-based INF missiles until similar American-made missile weapons appeared in relevant regions.”
It added: “Russia directly called on NATO countries to declare a reciprocal moratorium and on U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific region to support efforts to prevent an arms race. However, these initiatives were not reciprocated by the US and its allies, who have outlined plans to deploy American land-based INF missiles in various regions.”
**Mark Esper, then U.S. Secretary of Defense:** “Russia has failed to comply with its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, leading to the United States’ withdrawal from the treaty on Aug. 2, 2019.”
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What action did Russia announce on Monday regarding land-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles?
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