The Russian Foreign Ministry has declared that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have ceased to exist, following Russia’s move to deploy the US-made ground-launched INF-range missiles in Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific. The move comes after the US backed out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 2019, accusing Moscow of breaching the agreement. The Foreign Ministry did not specify when or where Russia may deploy the weapons. This announcement came just days after President Trump shortened the deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire with Ukraine and move towards a potential peace agreement. Trump has called for the end of the war in Eastern Europe that has raged for nearly three-and-a-half years, and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Russia this week for the Kremlin’s “last chance” to reach a peace deal before Washington’s sanctions kick into place.
Russia has lifted its self-imposed freeze on intermediate-range missiles.
