Russia Discards Self-Restrictions on Missile Deployment After Treaty Collapse
Following the collapse of the INF Treaty, Russia declared it would no longer adhere to its “self-restrictions” on deploying medium- and short-range missiles. The Russian Foreign Ministry cited a lack of reciprocity and listed alleged violations as justification for this decision. These self-imposed limitations were initially adopted after the U.S. and Russia withdrew from the INF Treaty in August 2019, with each side accusing the other of treaty violations. Consequently, Russia now views the conditions for maintaining its moratorium on these weapons as obsolete.