Russia Threatens Retaliatory Measures Against US Missile Deployment in Germany

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of deploying new strike weapons in response to the US plan to station longer-range and hypersonic missiles in Germany by 2026. This move follows the US pulling out of a 1987 treaty banning such weapons, amidst rising tensions between Moscow and the West.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Sunday that Russia may deploy new strike weapons in response to the US plan to station longer-range and hypersonic missiles in Germany by 2026. This declaration came during a naval parade in St Petersburg.

Putin stated that if the US implements these plans, Russia will consider itself free from the unilateral moratorium on deploying intermediate and shorter-range strike weapons. He added that Moscow's development of such systems is in its final stages.

Both the US and Russia have shown readiness to deploy these intermediate-range ground-based weapons that were banned under a 1987 US-Soviet treaty. The US exited this treaty in 2019, accusing Russia of violating it. The tensions between the nations were further exacerbated following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

(With inputs from agencies.)