Moscow announces end to abandonment of ground-based nuclear weapons
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a historic arms control agreement signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987, is no longer in effect. Both nations officially withdrew from the treaty, with the U.S. withdrawing in 2019 and Russia following suit in 2025.
The INF Treaty, which banned land-based nuclear short- and intermediate-range missiles, played a significant role in reducing the nuclear threat between the two superpowers. The treaty led to the dismantling of approximately 2,619 missiles within three years of its signing.
The U.S. withdrawal in 2019 was due to allegations of Russian treaty violations. Russia, in response, maintained a moratorium on similar missile deployments, conditional on the U.S. also adhering to the treaty restrictions. However, as of August 2025, Russia officially ended this moratorium and declared that it no longer considers itself bound by the INF Treaty.
This decision reflects a formal end to adherence on Russia's side and signals an escalation in arms deployment, especially amid deteriorating U.S.-Russia relations.
Russia's decision to no longer adhere to the INF Treaty is not unrelated to the planned deployment of US missiles in Germany in 2026, a move that has led to Russia's threat of a symmetric response. The US weapons planned for Germany have a longer range than the land-based systems currently stationed, and the German military's response plans include the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles, SM-6 air defense missiles, and newly developed hypersonic weapons in Germany.
The deployment of US-produced land-based nuclear short- and intermediate-range missiles in Europe is a significant factor in the current situation regarding the INF Treaty. Russia has stationed nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in the exclave of Kaliningrad, potentially threatening German cities with its intermediate-range missiles.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has ended the moratorium on compliance with the INF Treaty, and weapons for Russia's symmetric response to the US missile deployment are almost ready, according to reports from the Kremlin.
The INF Treaty, signed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan, was a milestone in the Cold War era, marking a significant step towards disarmament and detente. Its collapse and the subsequent escalation in arms deployment are a reminder of the complex geopolitical landscape and the ongoing tensions between the US and Russia.
[1] Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty [2] Withdrawal of the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty [3] Russian non-compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty [4] INF Treaty: The End of an Era
- The withdrawal of the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, due to allegations of Russian treaty violations, has set off a chain of events that lead to the current policy-and-legislation surrounding war-and-conflicts, as both nations have since foreign ministries ended their respective moratoriums on compliance with the treaty, resulting in a tense political climate between the two nations.
- The collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in August 2025, coupled with the planned deployment of US missiles in Germany in 2026, is a significant development in general-news, placing once more short- and intermediate-range nuclear capabilities in Europe at the forefront of war-and-conflicts discourse, pushing for policy-and-legislation that may mitigate the escalating war-and-conflicts risks.
