Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement on the same day proposing a series of additional measures that would help reduce tensions in Europe after the INF Treaty lapses, calling on the countries concerned to seek solutions to maintain stability and prevent missile crises in the Asia-Pacific region, RIA Novosti reported on 26 October. Putin also said that the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty caused the treaty to lapse is a serious mistake.
In the statement, Putin stressed that the Russian side still believes that the INF Treaty played a special role in guaranteeing predictability and restraint in the missile sphere in the European region. According to the statement, the cessation of the implementation of the INF Treaty by the United States and its eventual withdrawal is a very serious mistake that increases the risk of a missile arms race and a potential confrontation and will lead to an uncontrollable escalation of the situation.
Putin confirmed his side’s commitment not to deploy Russian land-based medium- and short-range missiles unless such American-made weapons are present in the region. He called on NATO member states to consider similarly declaring a moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles.
Putin suggests that the countries concerned verify each other’s deployments. For example, it would be possible to check the land-based Aegis systems with MK-41 launchers deployed at United States and NATO bases in Europe, as well as the 9M729 missiles at facilities of the Russian armed forces in the Kaliningrad region. The purpose of the verification is to confirm that the facilities under the agreement do not contain land-based medium- and short-range missiles, as well as 9M729 missiles, the performance and classification of which is disputed by the parties.
Russia has always confirmed that the deployment of 9M729 missiles is fully in line with the relevant provisions of the INF Treaty, but it is also willing to renounce the deployment of 9M729 missiles in Europe in the event that NATO countries stop deploying the weaponry prohibited by the INF Treaty in the European region.
In February 2019, the United States unilaterally began the process of withdrawing from the INF Treaty, which was signed by the Soviet Union and the United States in 1987 and stipulates that the two countries will no longer retain, produce or test land-based cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and their launchers with a range of 500 km to 5,500 km. In August of the same year, the United States formally withdrew from the Treaty.
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