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Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to restart production of of intermediate-range nuclear weapons. (Photo: AFP)

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Putin threats to restart production of mid-range nuclear missiles

Published :  
29-07-2024 11:46|

Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to relaunch the production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons if the United States confirmed its intention to deploy missiles to Germany or elsewhere in Europe.

"If the United States carries out such plans, we will consider ourselves liberated from the unilateral moratorium previously adopted on the deployment of medium- and short-range strike capabilities," Putin said during a naval parade in Saint Petersburg on Sunday – per Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“The development of a number of such systems is in the final stages,” he added. “We will take mirror measures in deploying them, taking into account the actions of the US, its satellites in Europe and in other regions of the world.”

Both Russia and the U.S. withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, each accusing the other of violations.

Russia subsequently said it would not restart production of such missiles as long as the United States did not deploy missiles abroad.

Putin’s threats come after Washington and Berlin announced in July that the "episodic deployments" of long-range U.S. missiles, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, to Germany would begin in 2026.

Putin said that "important Russian administrative and military sites" would fall within the range of such missiles that "could in the future be equipped with nuclear warheads, such that our territories would be within around 10 minutes" of a strike being launched.

"This situation reminds us of the events of the Cold War linked to the deployment of American Pershing medium-range missiles in Europe," said Putin.