Russia will soon scrap its moratorium on deploying intermediate and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles, a decision announced by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday.
The move, long expected, signals the collapse of one of the Cold War’s most crucial arms control agreements, exacerbating fears of a new arms race between the world’s largest nuclear powers, Russia, the United States, and China.
Lavrov’s statement highlighted that the U.S. has deployed such weapons globally, disregarding warnings from Russia and China. This, according to Lavrov, makes the moratorium unsustainable.
For years, the U.S. and Russia have expressed regret over the collapse of key arms control treaties. These agreements, designed to curb nuclear proliferation, are now unraveling amidst rising global tensions.
In an interview with the state news agency RIA, Lavrov dismissed the possibility of restarting strategic talks with Washington, citing a lack of favorable conditions for dialogue. “There is no basis for negotiations,” he said.
The Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, once hailed as a historic achievement under Gorbachev and Reagan in 1987, will now lie in tatters. The treaty had led to the elimination of an entire class of nuclear weapons.
In 2019, the U.S. withdrew from the INF Treaty, citing Russian violations—accusations Moscow rejected as unjustified. This decision followed years of growing concerns over China’s expanding missile capabilities.
