Germany Defies Putin's Nuclear Threats

The government in Berlin stated today, Monday, that it will not succumb to "intimidation" in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat yesterday to resume the production of medium-range nuclear weapons if the United States deploys missiles in Germany or anywhere in Europe.

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer said during a press conference, "Let's be clear, we will not be intimidated by such statements."

Fischer added, "These types of missiles have already been developed and deployed by Russia for a long time, and what we are planning now is a response to deter the use of these weapons against Germany or other targets."

Earlier this July, Washington and Berlin announced that "intermittent deployment" of long-range American missiles in Germany, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, will begin in 2026.

During a naval parade in Saint Petersburg yesterday, President Putin threatened to restart the production of medium-range nuclear weapons. He said, "We will consider ourselves freed from the unilateral moratorium previously adopted on the deployment of medium- and short-range strike capabilities."

Putin added that "the development of several of these systems in Russia is now in its final stages, and we will take similar measures in their deployment, taking into account the actions of the United States and its satellites in Europe and other regions of the world."

Such missiles, with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, were the subject of an arms control treaty signed by the United States and the former Soviet Union in 1987.

In 2019, both Washington and Moscow withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, accusing each other of violating it.