MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday issued a stark warning to the United States, stating that if Washington goes ahead with the deployment of long-range missiles in Germany by 2026, Russia will respond by positioning similar missiles within striking distance of Western targets.
This warning comes after the United States and Germany announced earlier this month their plan to start deploying long-range fire capabilities in Germany in 2026. This move is part of a broader strategy to reinforce NATO and European defense. The deployments will include advanced weaponry such as the SM-6, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and developmental hypersonic weapons, which offer longer ranges than current capabilities in Europe.
During a speech to sailors from Russia, China, Algeria, and India in St. Petersburg on Russian Navy Day, Putin cautioned that the United States’ actions could provoke a crisis reminiscent of the Cold War missile standoffs.
“The flight time to targets on our territory of such missiles, which in the future may be equipped with nuclear warheads, will be about 10 minutes,” Putin stated. “We will take mirror measures to deploy, taking into account the actions of the United States, its satellites in Europe, and in other regions of the world.”
Putin accused the United States of escalating tensions, citing the transfer of Typhon missile systems to Denmark and the Philippines. He likened the current U.S. plans to NATO’s 1979 decision to deploy Pershing II missiles in Western Europe, which the Soviet leadership of the time, including General Secretary Yuri Andropov, saw as a threat to their political and military leadership.
“This situation is reminiscent of the events of the Cold War related to the deployment of American medium–range Pershing missiles in Europe,” Putin said.
He reiterated a previous warning that Russia might resume the production of intermediate and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles and consider their deployment in response to the United States’ plans to station similar missiles in Europe and Asia.