International-News

Moscow breaks the mould on missiles: ‘We are no longer bound by the INF Treaty’

Russia announces the end of self-imposed restrictions on medium- and short-range missiles. Meanwhile, Trump sends an emissary to Moscow to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine

Moscow no longer considers itself bound by any self-imposed restrictions on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles. This was announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry, citing the end of the conditions that made it possible to comply with the unilateral moratorium linked to the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) Treaty, signed in 1987 by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.

The statement released and republished by the Tass agency emphasises that the West has adopted “measures that directly threaten Russia’s security”, in particular with the alleged deployment of US land-based missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. ‘The conditions for maintaining the moratorium no longer exist,“ the statement reads, and Moscow considers itself ‘authorised to assert” that it is no longer bound by previously assumed self-imposed restrictions.

Trump sends Witkoff to Moscow to negotiate on Ukraine
On the diplomatic front, US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, will be in Moscow tomorrow to discuss the situation in Ukraine. This was reported by Tass, confirming what Trump himself had anticipated in recent days. The Kremlin has not ruled out a meeting between Witkoff and Vladimir Putin.

‘The goal is to reach an agreement to stop people from being killed,’ Trump said, adding that if Russia refuses, new sanctions will be imposed. However, he admitted that Moscow is ‘quite adept at circumventing them,’ suggesting that diplomatic pressure may not be enough.

Kiev expects new sanctions by 8 August
On the Ukrainian side, President Zelensky’s adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, warned that if Moscow does not change course by 8 August, so-called “secondary sanctions” on Russian oil exports will have to be imposed. “If that doesn’t work, we will move on to the next step: further sanctions and increasing militarisation of Ukraine,” he said in an interview with The Guardian.

Podolyak also highlighted the Trump administration’s change of course: ‘He has already said he is ready to sell Europe all the weapons it wants to give to Ukraine. He didn’t say that before. It’s already a different conception of the world.’ In Kiev, however, there is scepticism about the effectiveness of the US envoy’s mission to Moscow.

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