Russian President Vladimir Putin said the decision by the United States and Germany to deploy long-range US missiles in Germany from 2026 is “reminiscent of the events of the Cold War” and could prompt Russia to deploy similar missiles in response.
“If the United States of America implements such plans, we will consider that we are free from the unilateral moratorium on deploying medium- and short-range strike weapons, including increasing the capabilities of our Navy’s coastal forces,” Putin said, speaking at Russia’s annual Navy Day in St. Petersburg.
Putin said the US and German decision to begin “episodic deployments” of their Multi-Domain Task Force’s long-range missile capabilities in Germany from 2026 would put Russian infrastructure within range of the missiles to be deployed.
“This situation is reminiscent of the Cold War events related to the deployment of medium-range Pershing missiles in Europe,” he said.
Pershing II missiles, designed to deliver nuclear warheads, were deployed by the US Army at American bases in West Germany from 1983, to the alarm of the then Soviet leadership.
They were withdrawn with the introduction of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 1988.
Putin added that the development of Russian medium- and short-range strike weapons was “in the final stages” and that Russia would take “reciprocal steps to deploy them.”
The US and Germany issued a joint statement in July on the deployment of weapons systems in Germany, saying that “when fully developed, these long-range conventional fires units will include SM-6, Tomahawk and developmental hypersonic weapons, which have significantly longer operating time and range than current ground-based weapons in Europe.”
Russia has repeatedly threatened to end its self-declared moratorium on the deployment of “short-range” and “intermediate-range” land-based ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and missile launchers that could be used to deliver nuclear or conventional payloads.
Announcing the moratorium after the US withdrew from the INF in 2019, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that “Russia would refrain from deploying these systems when we acquire them, unless American equipment is deployed in certain regions.”
The treaty, which the United States and Europe have accused Moscow of frequently violating, banned such missiles and has been seen as a centerpiece of European security since the Cold War.
Russia soon followed the US in withdrawing from the treaty, raising concerns of a new arms race.
Source: CNN Brasil
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