In a speech on Sunday to mark Russian military day, Putin accused the U.S. of escalating tensions, pronouncing “we will be able to take replicate measures to deploy, bearing in mind the movements of america, its satellites in Europe and in different areas of the sector,” Reuters reported.
The Intermediate-Vary Nuclear Forces Treaty — signed in 1987 — banned ground-based missiles with a variety of greater than 500 kilometers. The U.S. withdrew from the treaty in 2019, mentioning Moscow’s building of the 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile, recognized in NATO circles because the SSC-8.
“Now that we’ve got withdrawn, the Division of Protection will absolutely pursue the improvement of those ground-launched typical missiles as a prudent reaction to Russia’s movements and as a part of the joint pressure’s broader portfolio of typical strike choices,” former Secretary of Protection Mark Esper stated when saying the withdrawal in 2019.
