Russia has formally withdrawn from the last remnants of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, marking a significant escalation in the global arms race and further eroding the Cold War-era security framework. The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday declared that Moscow “no longer considers itself bound” by self-imposed restrictions under the treaty, citing the deployment of US intermediate-range weapons in Europe and the Asia-Pacific as a direct threat to Russian security.
Signed in 1987 by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the INF Treaty aimed to eliminate ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometres. The historic agreement led to the dismantling of over 2,600 missiles and was once hailed as a milestone in arms control.
US Withdrawal Set the Stage
The deterioration began years earlier. In 2019, the United States under President Donald Trump formally exited the treaty, accusing Russia of violating it through the development of the 9M729 missile system (NATO name: SSC-8). While Moscow denied the accusations, such concerns had been raised since at least 2014 during Barack Obama’s presidency.
Although the US withdrew from the treaty, Russia has maintained a symbolic moratorium until now.
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Missiles in Use Despite ‘Moratorium’
Russia’s actions on the ground already told a different story. Last November, it reportedly used an Oreshnik missile, with a range exceeding INF limits, to strike a Ukrainian city. President Vladimir Putin confirmed that this nuclear-capable missile is now active and already deployed to Belarus, which borders NATO members Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.
This move comes just days after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, issued a nuclear threat on social media. He warned, “This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps.”
Trump Responds with Submarines and Warnings
In response to Medvedev’s remarks, Trump revealed that he ordered two US nuclear submarines to be “positioned in the appropriate regions.” Speaking to Newsmax, he said, “When you talk about nuclear, we have to be prepared… and we’re prepared.”
He added, “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances.”
Despite the sharp rhetoric, the Kremlin appeared to downplay the threat. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded, “It is obvious that American submarines are already on combat duty… of course, we believe that everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric.”
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A Larger Strategic Shift
The INF Treaty’s collapse comes amid broader US plans to begin episodic deployments of intermediate-range missiles to Germany by 2026, while Typhon missile launchers have already been spotted in the Philippines. Washington also tested weapons during Australia’s Talisman Sabre exercise, triggering concern in Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov foreshadowed this shift last December, saying the moratorium was “practically no longer viable.” He added, “The United States arrogantly ignored warnings from Russia and China and, in practice, moved on to deploying weapons of this class in various regions of the world.”
President Putin himself earlier warned that ending the INF Treaty would “significantly erode the global security framework.”
End of the Arms Control Era
Former guardrails that held since the Cold War have now collapsed. The INF Treaty, while imperfect—it excluded sea- and air-launched weapons and did not include China—still acted as a firebreak against escalation.
Now, both Russia and the United States are heading into open missile rearmament. With Trump demanding a Ukraine ceasefire by August 9—threatening sanctions on nations like India and China if ignored—tensions are at a boiling point.
Russia’s decision signals a shift from strategic ambiguity to deliberate escalation. Nearly four decades after the Cold War cooled, the world faces the renewed threat of nuclear-tipped missiles in Europe, not as history, but as breaking news.
