Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the country to resume production of short and intermediate-range nuclear-capable missiles on June 28, in response to what Putin says is the United States deploying mid-range missiles around the world, The Kyiv Independent reports.
"We need to start production of these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where, if necessary to ensure our safety, to place them," Putin said during a meeting of Russia's Security Council.
In 2019, the United States reversed course on the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that it had signed with Russia, after the U.S. accused Russia of noncompliance with the treaty. Russian was first accused of noncompliance in 2014, around the time when the country illegally annexed Crimea.
In April 2024, the United States deployed Mid-Range Capability (MRC) to the Philippines as part of "bilateral training and readiness."
"Today, it is known that the United States not only produces these missile systems, but has already brought them to Europe for exercises, to Denmark. Quite recently, it was announced that they are in the Philippines," Putin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously threatened to deploy weaponry within striking distance of the United States and Western allies.
On June 5, Moscow said it could supply advanced weapons to certain regions to enable strikes against "sensitive" Western targets as a response if Ukraine strikes Russia with Western arms.
Putin has also repeatedly made nuclear threats against Ukraine and the West since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The threats have failed to materialize, and Russia continues to wage its all-out war without its nuclear arsenal.
