Latest news with #Intermediate-RangeNuclearForcesTreaty
UPI
a day ago
- Politics
- UPI
Russia ends moratorium on developing short-, medium-ranged nuclear weapons
Russia under President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced it was ending its self-imposed freeze on developing short-and medium-range nuclear weapons. File Photo by Kremlin/UPI | License Photo Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Russia has announced it is ending its self-imposed moratorium on the development of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles, deepening a nuclear weapons stalemate between Moscow and Washingont. Russia's Foreign Ministry made the announcement Monday in a lengthy statement that blamed actions taken by the United States and other nations for its decision. "Since our repeated warnings in this regard have been ignored and the situation is developing along the path of the actual emplacement of the U.S.-made ground-launched INF-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, the Russian Foreign Ministry has to state that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have ceased to exist," it said. "The ministry is authorized to declare that the Russian Federation no longer considers itself bound by the relevant previously adopted self-restrictions." INF is the abbreviation for the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty between the United States and the then-Soviet Union in 1987 that required the destruction of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. The United States, under the first Trump administration, left the Cold War-era accord in 2019, following years of allegations that Russia had repeatedly violated the deal. Russia has used intermediate-range ballistic missiles in its war with Ukraine. Russia made the announcement days after Trump on Friday confirmed that the United States repositioned two nuclear submarines in response to Russian Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev informing the American president to be wary of Moscow's nuclear arsenal. Following Russia's Foreign Ministry statement, Medvedev said it was "the result of NATO countries' anti-Russian policy." "This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with," he said on X. "Expect further steps." Of the nine countries with nuclear weapons, the United States and Russia have by far the most. According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Russia has more than 5,500 nuclear warheads and the United States has 5,044, accounting for nearly 90% of the world's nuclear weapons.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Russia breaks self-imposed freeze on intermediate-range missiles
Moscow justified its move by pointing to efforts by the U.S. and its allies to develop and deploy similar weapons systems in Europe and Asia. 'Since our repeated warnings in this regard have been ignored and the situation is developing along the path of the actual emplacement of the US-made ground-launched INF-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, the Russian Foreign Ministry has to state that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have ceased to exist, ' the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a lengthy statement on Monday. 'The Ministry is authorized to declare that the Russian Federation no longer considers itself bound by the relevant previously adopted self-restrictions,' the ministry added. Russia imposed the moratorium after the U.S. backed out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 2019, accusing Moscow of breaching the agreement, which barred both military powers from deploying intermediate-range missiles that have a range of between 310 miles and 3,400 miles. The Foreign Ministry did not say when or where Russia may deploy the weapons. The announcement came just days after President Trump said the U.S. military was moving two nuclear submarines closer to Russia in response to 'highly provocative statements' made by Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is currently the deputy chair of Russia's Security Council. Russia's move also comes after Trump shortened the deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire with Ukraine and get on a path toward a potential peace agreement. Trump, who has called for the end of the war in Eastern Europe that has raged for nearly three-and-a-half years, spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, exchanging assessments of the situation on the ground, going over potential sanctions against Russia and joint efforts by European nations to supply Ukraine with more weapons. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Russia this week for what the president said was the Kremlin's 'last chance' to reach a peace deal before Washington's sanctions kick into place.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Russia no longer bound by self-imposed freeze on intermediate-range missiles: Kremlin
Russia announced on Monday that it will no longer be bound by a self-imposed restriction on the deployment of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles, pointing to efforts by the U.S. and its allies to develop and deploy similar weapons systems in Europe and Asia. 'Since our repeated warnings in this regard have been ignored and the situation is developing along the path of the actual emplacement of the US-made ground-launched INF-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, the Russian Foreign Ministry has to state that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have ceased to exist,' Russian Foreign Ministry said in a lengthy statement. 'The Ministry is authorized to declare that the Russian Federation no longer considers itself bound by the relevant previously adopted self-restrictions,' the ministry added. Russia imposed the moratorium after the U.S. backed out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 2019, accusing Moscow of breaching the agreement, which barred both military powers from deploying intermediate-range missiles that have a range of between 310 to 3,400 miles. The Foreign Ministry did not say when or where Russia may deploy the weapons. 'Decisions on the specific parameters of response measures will be made by the leadership of the Russian Federation based on interagency analysis with regard to the scope of the deployment of the US and other Western ground-launched INF-range missiles, as well as to the overall evolution in the area of international security and strategic stability,' the statement said. The announcement came just days after President Trump said the U.S. military was moving two nuclear submarines closer to Russia in response to 'highly provocative statements' made by Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council. Medvedev has been highly critical of U.S. foreign policy and is known for provocative and saber-rattling threats toward Washington, but is seen as having little decision-making power in the government. Russia's move also comes after Trump shortened the deadline for Mowcow to reach a ceasefire with Ukraine and get on a path toward a potential peace agreement. Trump, who has called for the end of the war in Eastern Europe that has raged for well over nearly three-and-half years, spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, exchanging assessments of the situation on the ground, going over potential sanctions against Russia and joint efforts by European nations to supply Ukraine with more weapons. 'We also discussed our bilateral defense cooperation with America. The draft agreement on drones has already been prepared by the Ukrainian side, we are ready to discuss it in detail and conclude it. One of the strongest agreements this could be,' Zelesnky said in a Tuesday post on the social media platform X. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Russia this week for what the president said was the Kremlin's 'last chance' to reach a peace deal before Washington's sanctions kick into place. Trump said Witkoff 'may be going' to Russia on Wednesday or Thursday.
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First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
80 years after Hiroshima: Nuclear threat still looms over global security
History, with its grim cycles and painful lessons, has every reason to indict humanity. In the week marking the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Russia announced it no longer considers itself bound by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, blaming 'the actions of Western countries' for creating a 'direct threat' to its security. Last Friday, US President Donald Trump said he had ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines 'in appropriate regions' following what he described as 'highly provocative comments' by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is ironic that nuclear weapons still exist, despite the well-known devastation they cause to the planet—and the threat of nuclear sabre-rattling remains as constant as the air we breathe. Aside from white lilies and sombre memorial services for the dead, and sympathy for those emotionally and physically maimed by the two blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, little has moved forward in practical terms. In the prologue of her book Nuclear War: A Scenario, Annie Jacobsen describes a frightening vision of what the next nuclear bomb explosion might look like. For now, it is only imagination—but reality would unfold within minutes if the bombs were ever detonated, for whatever reason. She writes: 'A 1-megaton thermonuclear weapon detonation begins with a flash of light and heat so tremendous it is impossible for the human mind to comprehend. One hundred and Eighty million degrees Fahrenheit is four or five times hotter than the temperature that occurs at the center of the Earth's sun. In the first fraction of a second this thermonuclear bomb strikes… there is light…. Soft X-ray light with a very short wavelength. The light superheats the surrounding air to a millions of degrees, creating a massive fireball that expands at millions of miles per hour. Within a few seconds, this fireball increases to a diameter of a little more than a mile (5,700 feet across), its light and heat so intense that concrete surfaces explode, metal objects melt or evaporate, stone shatters, humans instantaneously convert into combusting carbon.' This, of course, is Jacobsen's speculative scenario of what might happen if a nuclear bomb were to strike the Pentagon outside Washington. But if such an event were to occur, her imagined horror would become exact, unbearable reality. In the 653-page book The Effects of Nuclear War, authored along with Philip J Dolan, Samuel Galsstone writes, 'There are inherent difficulties in making exact measurements of weapons effects. The results are often dependent upon circumstances, which are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to control even in tests and would certainly be unpredictable in the event of an attack.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Then, after the immediate destruction there is the curse of a nuclear winter which is inevitable. A legacy of devastation, a present of peril Eighty years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed more than 200,000 people and left haunting reminders of nuclear warfare, the world remains on edge. Far from fading into the pages of history, nuclear weapons continue to cast a long, ominous shadow over global peace and security. While the world has avoided another nuclear strike since 1945, today's risks may be even more acute driven by geopolitical volatility, advancing technologies and the slow unravelling of disarmament frameworks. A world still armed to the teeth As of early 2025, the global stockpile of nuclear warheads stands at approximately 12,241, with the vast majority—over 90 per cent—held by United States and Russia. This massive arsenal is not just a relic of the Cold War but a continually modernised force, featuring increasingly sophisticated delivery systems and warhead designs, Andrew Hammond writes in The Business Times. While global treaties have aimed to curb proliferation, they have done little to dismantle the core of existing nuclear forces. Slowing clock of disarmament The post-Cold War era witnessed a surge of hope for nuclear disarmament. Treaties such as the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) and initiatives like the Nuclear Security Summits led to tangible reductions and enhanced controls over nuclear materials. However, this progress has since slowed, if not reversed. Today, the momentum has shifted towards rearmament. The United States is developing a new generation of nuclear weapons and has indicated an openness to resuming nuclear testing. Meanwhile, China has more than tripled its arsenal, reaching around 600 warheads. These developments have reignited fears of a new arms race, especially as Russia also pursues advanced systems like hypersonic missiles and underwater nuclear drones. Submarines are indeed deadly platforms for nuclear launches. Efforts such as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which came into force in 2021, have garnered support from many non-nuclear states. Yet, they have been largely dismissed by nuclear-armed nations. The global appetite for disarmament, once buoyed by the horrors of Hiroshima, is faltering in the face of renewed strategic competition. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tensions in a fragile world Geopolitical fault lines are increasingly volatile, exacerbating the risk of nuclear conflict. Recent exchanges between Medvedev and Trump over nuclear threats serve as stark reminders of how easily diplomatic tensions can veer into dangerous territory. Medvedev's reference to Russia's 'Dead Hand' nuclear retaliation system and Trump's counter by repositioning submarines closer to Russia are not just posturing, they reflect the peril of miscalculation in today's hyper-charged political climate. Other hotspots, including the enduring India-Pakistan conflict and North Korea's relentless nuclear testing, add layers of complexity. These regions combine deep-seated historical animosities with nuclear capabilities, making them particularly susceptible to escalation. Iran, for its part, remains a significant concern. Reeling from attacks on its nuclear facilities, Tehran may further accelerate its nuclear programme, potentially pushing other regional powers like Saudi Arabia and Turkey toward similar ambitions. Technology: The new wildcard While nuclear weapons have always embodied existential danger, emerging technologies are making the nuclear scenario even more unpredictable. Artificial intelligence, cyber warfare and advanced missile defence systems are disrupting the traditional logic of nuclear deterrence. According to Hammond, AI-driven systems, if poorly managed, could make decisions faster than human operators can verify, increasing the likelihood of misjudgements. Meanwhile, cyberattacks on nuclear command and control systems could trigger false alarms or disable safeguards. The potential for accidental launches or misinterpreted threats has grown significantly in an era of digital warfare and machine decision-making. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD During the Cold War and into the 1990s, several false alarms nearly triggered nuclear war due to technical errors and misinterpretations. In the 1950s, a flock of Canadian geese was mistaken for a Soviet bomber attack by radar systems. The 1960s saw meteor showers and radar reflections from the moon falsely indicating a missile strike, while in 1979, a human error led to a false nuclear alert, causing Norad (North American Aerospace Defense Command) to scramble fighter jets. A year later, a faulty computer chip triggered a similar scare, prompting the preparation of B-52 bombers and the President's emergency aircraft. The most serious incident occurred in 1995 when a Norwegian research rocket was misidentified by Russian systems as a US nuclear missile, prompting president Boris Yeltsin to consider a retaliatory strike, an act he ultimately resisted, narrowly avoiding catastrophe. Terrorism threat Beyond state actors, the threat of nuclear terrorism has not disappeared. While acquiring a functional nuclear weapon remains a high barrier for non-state groups, the possibility of a radiological dispersal device (dirty bomb) is far more feasible. Such a weapon would use conventional explosives to spread radioactive material, potentially causing mass panic, economic chaos and long-term contamination of urban centres.. Hammond mentions former US defence secretary Robert Gates who once remarked that the thought of a terrorist obtaining a nuclear weapon was what kept him awake at night. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Treaties undermined, norms at risk International treaties and arms control frameworks that once served as guardrails are now fraying. The Doomsday Clock, maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, was set just one second from midnight earlier this year, the closest it has ever been to global catastrophe. Eighty years after Hiroshima, the world faces a dual nuclear threat: that of state-led warfare and non-state terrorism. While the horrors of 1945 forged a powerful global aversion to nuclear war, that consensus is under threat. The only way to ensure nuclear weapons are never used again is to eliminate them altogether. Eight decades on, the urgency of that mission has never been clearer.
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab Times
Russia drops moratorium on deploying medium, shorter range missiles
MOSCOW, Aug 5, (Xinhua): The Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday that the country no longer considers itself bound by self-restrictions on deploying medium- and short-range ground-based missiles. The foreign ministry noted the disappearance of "conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar systems" under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Steps by the West led to the buildup of destabilizing missile potentials in the regions adjacent to Russia, posing a direct threat to the country's strategic security, the ministry said. The nuclear treaty was an arms control deal between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 2019, the US side withdrew from the treaty, citing Russian non-compliance. Russia had suspended the treaty and declared a moratorium on the condition that the US does the same.
