Russia exits nuclear treaty with US following Trump's submarine deployment
PTC News Desk: Amid mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump to bring an end to the Ukraine conflict, Russia has declared that it no longer considers itself bound by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with the United States — an agreement that prohibited the deployment of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles. Citing “the actions of Western countries,” Moscow claimed that a “direct threat” to its national security had emerged.
This announcement came shortly after President Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines to strategic areas near Russia. In response, Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated that the conditions underpinning the Soviet-era treaty no longer exist, and as a result, Moscow would no longer adhere to the self-imposed limitations outlined in the agreement.
"West's build-up of destabilizing missile potentials create a direct threat to security of our country," it said in statement.
Medvedev, who has been engaging in a exchange of acerbic barbs on social media with US President Donald Trump, said: "This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps."
The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement on the withdrawal of the moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles is the result of NATO countries’ anti-Russian policy.
This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps. — Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) August 4, 2025
About the INF Treaty
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, signed in 1987 by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan, led to the elimination of an entire category of weapons — ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (311 to 3,418 miles).
Dmitry Medvedev, once viewed by the West as a possible moderate and reform-minded figure, has since become one of Moscow’s most hardline voices on foreign policy.
Last Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be deployed to “the appropriate regions” in reaction to Medvedev’s comments warning of the potential for war between the nuclear powers.
- With inputs from agencies
