THE Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened today that Russia will resume production intermediate-range nuclear weaponsif the USA confirm their intention to deploy missiles in Germany or elsewhere in Europe.

“If the US implements plans of this kind, we will consider ourselves exempt from the previously adopted unilateral moratorium on the development of medium- and short-range strike capabilities,” Putin noted in a speech at a naval parade in St. Petersburg .

Such weapons, with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers, were once the subject of a nuclear arms limitation treaty between Washington and the Moscowthe USSR-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

Russia and the US withdrew from this treaty in 2019, accusing each other of no longer respecting its terms. Moscow had, however, announced that it would not resume production of missiles of this type as long as the US did not proceed with their deployment abroad.

In July, Washington and Berlin announced their intention to “begin deploying sporadic long-range fire capabilities” in Germany in 2026, referring to SM-6 missiles, Tomahawk missiles and hypersonic weapons still in development.

“Important Russian sites of state and military administration will be within the range of these missiles (…) The flight time of these missiles, which could be equipped with nuclear warheads in the future, to our territory will be about 10 minutes,” Putin noted today.

“This situation brings to mind the events of the Cold War associated with the deployment of American medium-range Pershing missiles in Europe,” the Russian president also pointed out.

The Kremlin had already warned in mid-July that European capitals would become legitimate targets for Russia in the event of deployment of US missiles on the European continent.

The Russian president made these statements on the occasion of the annual parade of the Russian fleet in St. Petersburg, in which Chinese, Indian and Algerian ships participated this year.