Putin encourages production of missiles banned until 2019
Russian President Vladimir Putin has encouraged the production of short- and medium-range missiles, which were prohibited under the INF-Disarmament Treaty with the US up until 2019. "It looks like we need to start producing these offensive systems," Putin said on Friday, looking at missiles with a range of 500 to 5500 kilometers.
After the production of these missiles, Moscow must then "decide, based on the actual situation, where we will station them for our security." Putin justified his statement by saying that the US had begun using such missiles in exercises in Denmark. Russia must "respond."
The US has supplied Ukraine with missiles with shorter range to support the country in its conflict against Russia. In May, they then lifted the previously valid restriction for Kiev, allowing them to use these weapons against targets on Russian territory. Moscow warned of a potentially dangerous escalation.
Under the INF-Treaty, the production of missiles with a range of 500 to 5500 kilometers had been forbidden for the treaty parties, the US and the Soviet Union. The US withdrew from the INF-Treaty in 2019, justifying this by saying that Russia was not fulfilling its obligations. Moscow declared at the time that it would continue to abstain from producing new missiles, as long as the US did not deploy them within range of Russian territory.
In recent years, several arms control agreements between the US and Russia, concluded during the Cold War, had become invalid due to one party withdrawing or the agreements expiring. In February 2023, Russia suspended its participation in the New-START Treaty, the last still valid nuclear disarmament treaty between Moscow and Washington.
The USA has significantly increased its manufacturing of rockets with the aforementioned range, a move Putin believes necessitates Russia's own manufacture of such offensive systems. Moreover, Putin has expressed that the USA's deployment of these missiles in exercises, even in countries like Denmark, directly influences Russia's decisions regarding their placement.
