Russia's Foreign Ministry Announces Withdrawal from Missile Deployment Moratorium

Russia is withdrawing from its unilateral moratorium on the deployment of medium and shorter-range missiles, according to an official statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry. The agency explained this decision by referencing the "destabilizing missile capabilities" being increased by the West in regions adjacent to Russia.

The ministry stated that Russia will take steps towards the potential deployment of missiles based on an analysis of the deployment of medium and shorter-range missiles by the U.S. and other countries. At the same time, Moscow announced that it would not place missiles as long as NATO has not done so.

Earlier, the U.S. announced the "episodic" deployment of long-range weapons on German territory, and Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that Russia would abandon the moratorium. In 2024, the Russian Foreign Ministry officially announced that the production of such weapons would be restored.