Vladimir Putin has warned the United States that if Washington deploys long-range missiles in Germany from 2026, Russia will deploy similar missiles closer to the West.
Washington and Germany said earlier this month that the United States will begin deploying long-range fire capabilities in Germany in 2026 in a bid to demonstrate its commitment to NATO and European defense.
Washington and Berlin said the US “occasional deployments” were in preparation for the longer-term deployment of such capabilities, which would include SM-6 and Tomahawk cruise missiles and developmental hypersonic weapons with longer ranges than current capabilities in Europe.
In a speech on Sunday to sailors from Russia, China, Algeria and India to mark Russian Navy Day in the former imperial capital of St. Petersburg, Putin said the United States risked triggering a Cold War-style missile crisis with the move.
“The flight time of such missiles, which in the future may be equipped with nuclear warheads, to targets on our territory will be about 10 minutes. We will take similar measures to deploy them, taking into account the actions of the United States and its satellites in Europe and other regions of the world,” Putin said.
Putin said the United States was stoking tensions and had moved Typhoon missile systems to Denmark and the Philippines, comparing the US plans to NATO’s decision to deploy Pershing II bombers to Western Europe in 1979.
The Soviet leadership, including General Secretary Yuri Andropov, feared that the Pershing II deployments were part of a complex U.S.-led plan to decapitate the Soviet Union by eliminating its political and military leadership.
“This situation is reminiscent of the Cold War events related to the deployment of American medium-range Pershing missiles in Europe,” Putin said.
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The Russian president repeated an earlier warning that Moscow might resume production of missiles capable of carrying medium- and short-range nuclear warheads and then consider where to deploy them if the United States brought similar missiles to Europe and Asia.
