Russia says it will no longer be bound under Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Russia has announced intentions to step away from a missile treaty that the U.S. accuses it of violating for over a decade. Choi Soo-hyung explains. Russia says it will no longer be bound by a treaty on the deployment of intermediate-range missiles. On Monday local time, the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed the U.S. has been deploying intermediate-range missiles in Europe and Asia. Moscow said the move is a response to new threats. The INF Treaty, signed in 1987 between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, banned the production, testing, and deployment of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5-thousand-500 kilometers. In 2019, during U.S. President Donald Trump's first term, Washington pulled out of the agreement arguing Moscow had long been violating the treaty. Russia denied accusations of violations, continuing to hold back on developing missiles banned under the Treaty. Moscow's statement on Monday followed President Trump's order, issued three days before, to reposition two U.S. nuclear submarines in response to the deputy head of Russia's powerful Security Council Dmitri Medvedev's remarks about the risk of war between Washington and Moscow. Medvedev also warned on X to "expect further steps," tying the foreign ministry's announcement to what he called NATO countries' "anti-Russia policy." NATO is stepping up its support for Ukraine, starting with the Netherlands. The alliance plans to purchase U.S.-made weapons systems. Valued at around 579 million U.S. dollars, the aid package will include missiles for the Patriot air defense system. "The Dutch are just the first of many. You're going to see a series of announcements in the coming weeks. You know, when we announced this facility that allowed our NATO allies to buy U.S. equipment and provide that to Ukraine for their defense, you know, we had a lot of our allies raise their hand and line up." Ukraine has also continued its offensive, striking five Russian fighter jets in Russian-occupied Crimea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Ukrainian forces are also facing mercenaries from China, Pakistan, and Africa. Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.