President Putin Calls for Resumption of Intermediate-Range Missile Production

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the resumption of production of intermediate-range missiles, which were previously banned under the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).

At a national security council meeting, President Putin emphasized that Russia had not developed such missiles since the treaty’s end in 2019, while accusing the United States of using these missiles in training exercises in Denmark.

“We need to react to this and make decisions about what we should do next in this area. It seems that we need to start producing these strike systems,” Interfax quoted Putin as saying. “And then, based on the reality of the actual situation, make decisions about where to deploy them for our security.” 

The INF Treaty, signed in 1987 during Ronald Reagan’s administration, prohibited the United States and the Soviet Union from producing, testing, and deploying ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (300-3,400 miles). The treaty collapsed following deteriorating US-Russia relations after the 2014 Ukrainian crisis, leading to both nations withdrawing in 2019.

With the INF Treaty no longer in effect, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) remains the last major arms control agreement between the US and Russia. New START limits each nation to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, and it is set to expire in 2026. In February 2023, Russia suspended its participation in New START, however, it did not withdraw from the treaty, and clarified that it would continue to abide by the numerical limits in the treaty.

The United States has long claimed that Russia possesses a substantial arsenal of medium- and short-range ballistic missiles, including the 9M729 missile system, known in NATO as SSC-8. The US argues that the 9M729 cruise missiles, used by the Iskander-K system, violate the INF Treaty due to their estimated range exceeding 500 kilometers. When deployed in the Kaliningrad region, these missiles can target Western European capitals.

In 2019, the Trump administration suspended US obligations under the INF Treaty, blaming Russia for its collapse. Russia, for its part, has asserted that any attack on its territory could prompt a nuclear response. At the beginning of what he calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine, President Putin hinted at the potential use of nuclear weapons, warning that Western intervention would result in “unprecedented consequences.”

Shortly after announcing the “military operation” in Ukraine, Putin ordered the country’s nuclear deterrence forces to be on high alert, raising concerns about a potential nuclear war. The move drew strong condemnation from the United States, where Putin’s order was described as “totally unacceptable.”

Russia possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, estimated at 6,257 warheads. Moscow retains the right to use nuclear weapons in two scenarios: in response to a nuclear attack or the use of weapons of mass destruction against Russia or its allies, or if the existence of the Russian state is threatened.