(MENAFN) On Monday, Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian President and current deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, attributed Russia’s decision to withdraw from a moratorium on short- and medium-range nuclear missiles to the actions of NATO countries.

Medvedev stated on X that the Foreign Ministry’s announcement regarding the end of the missile deployment moratorium was a direct response to what he described as NATO’s “anti-Russian policy.” He warned that this change represents a “new reality” that adversaries must face, adding, “Expect further steps.”

This declaration followed Moscow’s official statement that it no longer feels bound by the self-imposed restrictions established under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

The INF Treaty, signed in 1987, required the United States and the Soviet Union to dismantle all nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,417 miles).

The United States withdrew from the treaty in 2019 during President Donald Trump’s administration, accusing Russia of failing to comply—a claim Moscow has consistently denied.

Russia’s announcement came shortly after Trump ordered the deployment of two US nuclear submarines near Russian waters, an action that followed a series of sharp exchanges between Medvedev and Trump on social media.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized on Monday that Russia approaches nuclear matters with extreme caution and maintains a “responsible position.” He stressed the importance of restraint in nuclear discourse, saying, “Russia is very attentive to the topic of nuclear non-proliferation. And of course, we believe that everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric.”

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