Russia has announced it will no longer uphold its obligations under the intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) treaty, signed by the Soviet Union and the United States in December 1987. The decision has raised questions about the future of nuclear deterrence and the danger of global nuclear proliferation.
The timing of this announcement from the Kremlin must be considered. It was just days after a spat on social media between the US president, Donald Trump, and former Russian president Dymitri Medvedev, a strong ally of Vladimir Putin.
Responding to the US president’s threats to punish Russia for its war in Ukraine, Medvedev took to X on July 28 to warn Trump that: “Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country.” Medvedev added: “Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!”