Russia Officially Ends Missile Moratorium, Escalating Tensions with U.S.

By Diafa Doubra

In a move that’s reigniting Cold War-era concerns, Russia has officially ended its self imposed moratorium on deploying short and intermediate range nuclear missiles, a restriction it had observed since the collapse of the INF Treaty in 2019.

The announcement came Tuesday morning from Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, who declared that the Kremlin would no longer tolerate strategic imbalance, pointing fingers at recent U.S. military deployments, including nuclear-capable submarines in European waters.

While Moscow claims this is a defensive posture, experts warn that it could mark the beginning of a new arms race, especially as NATO has yet to respond with a unified stance. Washington, for its part, has downplayed the move but is reportedly monitoring Russian activity with increased attention.

This development comes at a time of heightened global instability, with Russia still deeply involved in the Ukraine conflict and maintaining tense relations with NATO allies. Analysts believe that abandoning the missile restraint could be a bargaining chip or a signal of intent to assert military dominance more aggressively.

Global leaders are urging calm, but behind the scenes, diplomatic phone lines are buzzing as the world tries to assess the real impact of this major shift in Russia’s defense policy.