Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for resuming production of intermediate- and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles banned under a now-scrapped treaty with the United States.
Under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF), signed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan in 1987, the two superpowers agreed to abandon their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (about 310 to 3,410 miles).
The accord eliminated an entire category of nuclear weapons and initiated comprehensive on-site inspections for verification, according to the Arms Control Association. Under the terms of the treaty, the U.S. and Russia destroyed 2,692 short-, medium- and intermediate-range missiles by the treaty's June 1, 1991, implementation deadline, according to the Arms Control Association.
Beginning in 2014, the U.S. accused Russia of being in noncompliance, and the two countries exchanged noncompliance allegations and denials for several years. The Trump administration withdrew from the treaty in 2019 after citing misgivings about Russia's noncompliance and concerns about China's missile stock.
Renewed production of the missiles is now necessary, Putin said Friday during a televised session of Russia's Security Council, because the U.S. has resumed production and deployed missiles to Denmark and the Philippines.
"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," the Russian leader said.
The U.S. Army announced in April that it had successfully deployed a Mid-Range Capability missile system to Northern Luzon, Philippines, as part of a military exercise. It said the "landmark deployment marks a significant milestone for the new capability while enhancing interoperability, readiness and defense capabilities in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines."
"We need to start production of these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where, if necessary to ensure our safety, to place them," Putin told the council.
News of the possibility of the resumption of production of the nuclear-capable missiles comes amid Russia's war on Ukraine. Putin recently threatened to deploy conventional weapons within striking distance of the U.S. and its European allies if their long-range weapons supplied to Ukraine allowed Ukraine to strike deeper within Russia.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
