Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the United States\u2019 and Germany\u2019s decision to deploy US long-range missiles in Germany from 2026 is \u201creminiscent of the events of the Cold War\u201d and could see Russia station similar missiles in response. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf the United States of America implements such plans, we will consider ourselves free from the unilateral moratorium on the deployment of medium and shorter-range strike weapons, including increasing the capabilities of the coastal forces of our Navy,\u201d said Putin, speaking at Russia\u2019s annual Navy Day in St. Petersburg. <\/p>\n
Putin said that the US and Germany\u2019s decision to begin \u201cepisodic deployments\u201d of the long-range missile capabilities from its Multi-Domain Task Force in Germany starting in 2026 would put Russian infrastructure within the reach of the to-be-deployed missiles. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis situation is reminiscent of the events of the Cold War related to the deployment of Pershing medium-range missiles in Europe,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Pershing II missiles, designed to deliver nuclear warheads, were deployed by the US Army at American bases in West Germany from 1983 to the alarm of the then Soviet leadership. <\/p>\n
They were withdrawn with the introduction of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 1988. <\/p>\n
Putin added that the development of Russian medium and shorter-range strike weapons was \u201cin the final stages,\u201d and Russia would take \u201creciprocal measures to deploy them.\u201d <\/p>\n
The US and Germany in July issued a joint statement on the deployment of weapons systems in Germany, saying that \u201cwhen fully developed, these conventional long-range fire units will include SM-6, Tomahawk, and developmental hypersonic weapons, which have significantly longer range than current land-based fires in Europe.\u201d <\/p>\n
Russia has repeatedly threatened to end its self-declared moratorium on fielding both \u201cshort range\u201d and \u201cintermediate range\u201d land-based ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and missile launchers that could be used to carry either nuclear or conventional payloads. <\/p>\n
Announcing the moratorium after the US withdrew from the INF in 2019, Russian deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said \u201cRussia will refrain from deploying these systems when we acquire them unless the American equipment is deployed in certain regions.\u201d <\/p>\n
The treaty, which the US and Europe accused Moscow frequently violating, banned such missiles and was seen as a centerpiece of European security since the Cold War. <\/p>\n
Russia soon followed the US in withdrawing from the treaty, sparking concerns of a new arms race. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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