Back to Cold War era? Russia ends nuclear treaty as Trump sends nuke submarines into position

Time of India

2 days ago

Russia has now officially abandoned its last pretence of observing the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
. In a statement released on Monday, the Foreign Ministry made it clear: Moscow "no longer considers itself bound" by its "previously adopted self restrictions" under the treaty. It cited the deployment of US intermediate-range weapons in Europe and the Asia-Pacific as a direct threat to Russian security.
This treaty, signed in 1987 by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, was supposed to end one of the most dangerous chapters of the Cold War. It banned ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometres. Over 2,600 missiles were dismantled. At the time, it was hailed as a major arms control achievement.
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That optimism didn't last. The US formally withdrew from the INF in 2019 under President Donald Trump, who argued that Russia had been breaking the rules for years by developing and deploying the 9M729 missile system (known to NATO as the SSC-8). Moscow denied the claim, but the accusations dated back to at least 2014, during Barack Obama's presidency.
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Undo
Despite the US withdrawal, Russia kept its own moratorium, on paper. In practice, its actions in Ukraine suggested otherwise.
Missiles in the shadows
Last November, Russia reportedly used an Oreshnik missile, a weapon with a range that breaches the now-defunct treaty, against a Ukrainian city. That missile, which President Vladimir Putin has confirmed is now in service, is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and is already being deployed to Belarus. A troubling development, considering Belarus borders three NATO members.
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Russia's decision to end its observance of the treaty comes just days after former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev issued a nuclear threat online. In response, Trump ordered two US nuclear submarines to be 'positioned in the appropriate regions.' He later told Newsmax, 'When you talk about nuclear, we have to be prepared… and we're totally prepared.'
Trump added, 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances.'
Medvedev's fire and fury
Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, hasn't been subtle. He posted on X, 'This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps.'
His claim: NATO's "anti-Russian policy" has triggered the end of the missile moratorium. It's a familiar message from Moscow, one that frames every escalation as a defensive necessity.
Medvedev's nuclear rhetoric has become a regular feature in Russia's propaganda arsenal. It's part sabre-rattling, part information warfare.
Why now?
There's a bigger context to all this. The United States plans to begin 'episodic deployments' of intermediate-range missiles to Germany from 2026. Typhon missile launchers have already appeared in the Philippines. US weapons testing during Australia's Talisman Sabre military exercise also raised Moscow's suspicions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking to RIA Novosti last December, said the unilateral moratorium was 'practically no longer viable.' He blamed the US for ignoring joint warnings from Moscow and Beijing.
'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.'
Putin himself has warned that the collapse of the INF Treaty would 'significantly erode the global security framework.'
The Kremlin, however, played down Trump's submarine comments. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, told reporters:
'In this case, it is obvious that American submarines are already on combat duty. This is an ongoing process… of course, we believe that everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric.'
A dangerous countdown
Tensions between Moscow and Washington are running high. Trump has issued an ultimatum: Putin must agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by August 9 or face sweeping new sanctions, including penalties against oil buyers like India and China. Meanwhile, Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected in Moscow this week.
But Putin doesn't look ready to fold. Last week, he claimed that while peace talks had shown 'some positive progress,' Russia has the 'momentum' in the war. That doesn't sound like a man ready to pull back.
What this really means is that the arms control era that started in the 1980s is over. Dead, buried, and now being actively reversed.
The INF Treaty wasn't perfect. It didn't cover sea- or air-launched weapons. It didn't include China. And enforcement was always shaky. But it worked as a firebreak. Without it, there are fewer guardrails. More room for miscalculation. And a growing temptation to escalate, fast.
Russia's decision to scrap its remaining commitments marks a shift from strategic ambiguity to open rearmament. The US won't be far behind.
And so, nearly four decades after the Cold War began to cool, the world is once again talking about nuclear missiles in Europe. Not as history, but as breaking news.