What is the missile treaty Russia has walked out of – and why?

The Kremlin has accused Washington of deploying missile platforms around the world. But did the treaty matter even earlier?

Russia on Monday announced it will stop abiding by a decades-old nuclear missile treaty with the United States, raising fears of the return of a Cold War-style arms race.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, signed in 1987, had put a moratorium on the deployment of short and medium-range missiles between the world’s leading military powers.

US President Donald Trump withdrew from the treaty in 2019, during his first term. Russia remained part of the agreement until Monday. It had pledged not to deploy such weapons as long as Washington did not do so – though the US has repeatedly accused Moscow of violating the pact.

The Russian move comes days after Trump ordered the repositioning of two nuclear submarines in response to what he called “threatening comments” made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, currently deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council.