Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian President, stated that NATO is responsible for Moscow’s decision to end a long-standing moratorium on missile deployment.
Earlier this week, Russia’s foreign ministry declared it would no longer abide by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Although the U.S. withdrew from the treaty in 2019, Russian officials had previously indicated they would refrain from deploying short- and medium-range nuclear missiles provided the U.S. did the same.
“The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement regarding the termination of the moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles is a consequence of NATO countries’ anti-Russian policy,” Medvedev posted on X on Sunday.
“This is a new reality that all our adversaries will have to confront. Expect further actions,” he added.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had initially suggested lifting the moratorium in December, citing alleged “destabilizing actions” by the U.S. and NATO.
At the time, the ministry stated, “As the situation progresses toward the actual deployment of U.S.-made land-based medium- and short-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Foreign Ministry observes that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have ceased to exist.”
The INF treaty, signed in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, eliminated an entire class of weapons: ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.
Medvedev’s most recent comments emerge amidst an ongoing exchange with the President. The former Russian president had, through a series of posts on X, taunted Trump, claiming the U.S. was moving toward “war” with Moscow.
In response, it was stated that the U.S. was redeploying two nuclear submarines to “appropriate regions” closer to Moscow.
The Kremlin subsequently issued a statement downplaying Medvedev’s comments.
“We approach any statements related to nuclear issues with great caution,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. “As you know, Russia holds a responsible position. President Putin’s stance is well known.”
“Russia takes the issue of nuclear non-proliferation very seriously,” he added. “And, of course, we believe that everyone should be extremely careful when it comes to nuclear rhetoric.”
This report includes contributions from Reuters