**Putin Threatens Nuclear Response if U.S. Missiles Are Deployed in Europe**
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened on Sunday to resume the production of medium-range nuclear weapons if the United States confirms its intention to deploy missiles in Germany or anywhere in Europe.
Speaking at a naval parade in St. Petersburg, Putin said, “If the United States implements such plans, we will consider ourselves released from the unilateral moratorium on the deployment of intermediate and short-range offensive capabilities,” according to AFP.
He added, “Key Russian sites belonging to the state administration and military would be within the range of these missiles (…). The flight time of these missiles, which can be equipped in the future with nuclear warheads, to our territory would be approximately 10 minutes,” adding, “This situation reminds us of the events of the Cold War related to the deployment of American Pershing intermediate-range missiles in Europe.”
**Withdrawal from the Treaty**
It is noteworthy that the use of such weapons, with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, was prohibited under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between Washington and Moscow, signed during the Cold War era.
However, Russia and the United States withdrew from this treaty in 2019, each accusing the other of non-compliance.
At that time, the Kremlin stated it would adhere to a halt in the production of such missiles if the United States did not deploy them close to Russia.
**Long-Range Strike Capabilities**
In July, Washington and Berlin announced their intention “to begin the occasional deployment of long-range strike capabilities” in Germany in 2026.
The weapons that the United States will deploy in Germany include SM-6 missiles, long-range multi-purpose surface-to-air missiles, Tomahawk missiles, and hypersonic missiles still under development.
The Kremlin warned in mid-July that the deployment of long-range American missiles in Germany could make European capitals targets for Russian missiles.
by/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚