Latest news with #INF Treaty
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Battle Lines: How Putin, Xi and Trump sparked a new nuclear arms race
Nuclear weapons are back. This week, Moscow announced that it would no longer abide by the once hugely significant Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Last week, President Donald Trump announced that he had moved nuclear submarines towards Russia. From growing stockpiles in China and North Korea, to growing cooperation between the UK and France, the direction of travel is clear. As Japan marks the 80th anniversary of the devastating atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Venetia talks to Dr Sidharth Kaushal, a senior fellow in military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute in London. What's driving this new nuclear arms race? Which country will be the next to go nuclear? And is there an argument that it actually makes the world safer?
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Moscow comments on collapse of arms control treaty with US
Russia has the right to deploy ground-based intermediate-range missiles 'when deemed necessary,' following the collapse of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with the US, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Moscow had previously opted not to station such weapons in certain regions unless the US and its allies did so first. On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the 'actions of Western countries' had made Moscow's adherence to the moratorium no longer viable as they were creating a 'direct threat' to Russia's security. When asked by journalists to comment on Tuesday, Peskov said Russia 'no longer has any limitations in this regard' and 'no longer considers itself bound by anything.' Moscow reserves the right to deploy such missiles 'when deemed necessary,' he added. The Kremlin spokesman did not elaborate on whether decisions on potential missile deployments had already been taken. 'One can hardly expect any announcements here,' Peskov said, describing it as a question of national defense and 'a sensitive and secretive field.' The INF Treaty between the US and the USSR banned ground-launched missiles with ranges of 500-5,500km. It collapsed in 2019 when Washington unilaterally withdrew from the agreement during Donald Trump's first presidential term. The US justified the move by citing alleged Russian violations. Moscow has vehemently denied the claims, accusing the US itself of developing banned missiles. Russia subsequently called on NATO and the US to exercise restraint and refrain from deploying such systems as it announced its own moratorium on their deployment. Last year, Moscow warned it could lift the moratorium after the US announced plans to deploy long-range weapons in Germany in 2026. On Monday, the Foreign Ministry also cited the deployment of a Typhon missile launcher in the Philippines by the US last year as one of the reasons behind the policy change.
CNA
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Russia hints at deploying mid-range missiles after ending INF moratorium
MOSCOW: Russia on Tuesday (Aug 5) suggested it could deploy intermediate-range missiles after ending a self-imposed moratorium on producing or deploying the weapons, which were banned for decades under a Cold War treaty with the United States. Washington and Moscow had prohibited missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500km under the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. But US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal during his first term in 2019, accusing Russia of failing to comply. The Kremlin said at the time it would continue to abide by a moratorium if the US did not deploy missiles within striking distance of Russia. Russia's foreign ministry said on Monday it was ending the self-imposed restrictions, with the Kremlin hinting on Tuesday that Moscow could soon deploy the previously-banned missiles. "There are no longer any restrictions in Russia in this regard. Russia no longer considers itself limited in any way," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters. Moscow was "entitled, if necessary, to take appropriate measures" on the deployment of the missiles, he said, adding that there would be no public announcement if Russia decided to station the missiles. Putin said last year that Russia should start producing mid-range missiles - capable of carrying nuclear warheads - after the US sent some launch systems to Denmark for training exercises. Russia has also accused the US of sending the systems to the Philippines and Australia for drills. "The US and its allies have not only openly outlined plans to deploy American land-based INF missiles in various regions, but have also already made significant progress in the practical implementation of their intentions," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. The move comes after Trump announced the deployment of two nuclear submarines"in the region" amid an online row with Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president. Medvedev on Monday said Russia's foes should be on standby.
NHK
4 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Russia to stop abiding by defunct INF treaty, scrap self-imposed missile limits
Russia's foreign ministry says the country will no longer abide by a now-defunct treaty with the United States prohibiting the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles. The Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, known as INF Treaty, was one of the key nuclear arms control pacts between the US and Russia. The INF treaty expired in 2019 due to heightened tensions between the two nations. Nevertheless, Russia had maintained that it would refrain from producing or deploying INF systems as long as the US did not deploy similar missiles. The Russian foreign ministry issued a statement on Monday saying that "the situation is developing towards the actual deployment of American-made ground-based intermediate-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region." It noted that "the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have disappeared." The ministry added that Russia "no longer consider itself bound by the relevant self-imposed restrictions." Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the need to resume the production of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and to deploy them. On Friday, he revealed that mass production of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile called Oreshnik had begun, and that it is slated for deployment. US President Donald Trump is urging Russia to agree to a ceasefire in its conflict with Ukraine by Friday. He has warned that if Moscow fails to meet the deadline, it will face severe tariffs.
Russia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia ‘no longer considers itself bound' by nuclear treaty with US
Moscow believes that conditions for maintaining the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with the US have 'disappeared' and 'no longer considers itself bound' by it, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry. The INF Treaty, which banned ground-launched missiles with ranges of 500–5,500km, collapsed in 2019 when Washington withdrew, citing Russian violations. Moscow has denied the claims, accusing the US itself of developing banned missiles. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the collapse of the INF will significantly erode the global security TO FOLLOW
