Russia To Break Mid-Range Nuclear Missile Moratorium Unilaterally

The Russian move comes after the United States deployed such weapons worldwide, Russia says. This is a landmark decision, a decision reversing Cold War arms control history by effectively invalidating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

The INF treaty was signed in 1987 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that required the destruction of all ground launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges ranging from 500 to 5,000 kilometres. In 1991 both countries had demilitarized 2,692 missiles and significantly downgraded the risk of nuclear confrontation. But the Treaty was ditched by the U.S. in 2019 after allegations of Russia’s noncompliance and increased worries about China’s growing missile arsenal.

Moscow’s decision to deploy troops near its Ukrainian border is a defensive measure against both NATO and US deployment of missiles that can hit Russian territory, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, defending the move. Kremelin said the Russian position was that Ukraine was not to be drawn into the military alliance’s orbit and accused NATO of provoking aggression. Lavrov’s comments show that the Kremlin sees this as a means of redressing perceived threats with tactical nuclear drills and deployments.

It compounds those tensions further, as Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko recently said his country is poised to put up to 10 Russian Oreshnik missile systems on Belarusian soil that Moscow has already used against Ukraine. More aggressive posturing is indicated by these intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) with their penetration of advanced air defense systems.

Russia’s end to its moratorium and the potential to ramp up missile deployments at the same time threatens to turn the ongoing war in Ukraine into a global nuclear conflict. The prospect of a sweeping arms race now hangs over international stability and security; one of the largest Cold War era treaties is effectively dead. This development points to the need for new efforts by diplomats to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons and to reduce global tensions.