Russia exits nuclear treaty with US after Trump’s submarine move, blaming NATO policies

Russia announced it would no longer regard itself as bound by its self-imposed moratorium on short- and intermediate-range nuclear missile deployment, effectively signaling the abandonment of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

The move followed US President Donald Trump’s order to reposition two nuclear submarines into “appropriate regions” near Russia—an action Moscow described as a provocation that nullified conditions needed to sustain the pact.

In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused NATO and Western governments of creating a “direct threat” to Russian national security, pointing to military deployments in Europe and Asia-Pacific regions—including US Typhon missile launchers in the Philippines and Dark Eagle hypersonic systems deployed during Exercise Talisman Sabre in Australia.

These developments, Russia said, made the moratorium untenable.

Former President Dmitry Medvedev, now Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council, publicly backed the decision, stating on X that Russia's treaty exit was a result of “NATO countries' anti‑Russian policy.”

He warned that Moscow may take further steps and declared: “This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with.”

The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, downplayed escalation risks, saying US submarines were already on “combat duty” and that the announcement did not change their status.

He urged caution in nuclear rhetoric and declined to fully engage with the strategic implications of the U.S. deployment.

This move marks the next major dissolution in post-Cold War arms control. Washington formally withdrew from the INF Treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations of missile limits.

Russia maintained a moratorium in response—until now. With the INF now defunct and the New START treaty set to expire in February 2026, only one major nuclear arms control agreement remains between the two nations.

Moscow suspended participation in New START in early 2023.

Officials estimate the breakdown of treaty restraints heightens the risk of a new arms race, as Russia signals plans to deploy its Oreshnik hypersonic missiles near European and Asian borders.

Analysts warn the normalization of intermediate-range missile deployments may destabilise regional security dynamics.

The strategic fallout is already underway. In Washington and allied capitals, military planners now prepare for a world without limits on land-based missile deployments.

Russia has linked its move to US pressure tactics including trade sanctions and intimidation over the Ukraine conflict. Medvedev’s rhetoric, combined with public speeches and naval manoeuvres, underscores a Tokyo-like escalation cycle between nuclear-armed adversaries.

Unless substantive arms control talks resume or political will emerges in 2026, global arms control architecture may enter a new Cold War–era paradigm.

The collapse of INF raises serious questions over diplomacy, deterrence, and the future of global strategic stability.