Washington has criticized “irresponsible” warnings by Moscow that Russian forces would respond—in kind—to the planned deployment of long-range U.S. missile systems to Germany.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that Moscow would deploy novel “strike systems”—presumably aimed at Western targets—in response to the planned U.S. missile deployments, which are set to begin in 2026.
A State Department spokesperson described the Russian leader’s assertions as “more irresponsible rhetoric” by Moscow.
“The Kremlin’s aggression against Ukraine is the most significant and direct threat to Europe’s security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
In February 2022, Russia invaded—and effectively annexed—large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Most Western capitals view Russia’s invasion, now in its third year, as an illegal and unprovoked land grab.
Kyiv, backed by its Western allies, has vowed to continue fighting Russian forces—despite their numerical superiority—until all lost territory is recovered.
Moscow claims that its “special military operation” is aimed at protecting Russian speakers in the Donbas region and halting NATO’s further eastward expansion.
Mr. Putin has sought to justify the invasion by noting that NATO has inched ever closer to Russia’s borders—despite earlier pledges not to do so—since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.
Last year, Finland, which shares an 810-mile border with Russia, became NATO’s 31st member. Sweden followed suit in March of this year.
In April, a Kremlin spokesman repeated claims that the Western alliance was “continuing to encroach on [Russia’s] borders and expand its military infrastructure.”
Western officials, however, reject this characterization, insisting that NATO is a purely defensive alliance and that all democratic nations are welcome to join.
“The United States and NATO do not seek a military conflict with Russia,” the State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times, noting that NATO is a “defensive alliance.”
“But any military action directed against a NATO ally would trigger an overwhelming response.”
‘Tit-for-Tat’ Escalation
On July 10, Washington and Berlin announced that the United States would begin “episodic deployments” of long-range missile systems to Germany sometime in 2026.According to the statement, deployments will include SM-6, Tomahawk, and “developmental hypersonic missiles,” which boast a “significantly longer range” than U.S. missiles currently based in Europe.
The United States has not overtly deployed such formidable missile systems in Europe since the Cold War, which pitted the U.S.-led West against the Soviet Union.
A spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the planned U.S. missile deployments as a “necessary step to deter Russia.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov called the move an “intimidation tactic” by NATO and the United States, saying that Moscow was mulling a “military response.”
Anatoly Antonov, Moscow’s envoy to Washington, accused the United States of ignoring the “dangerous consequences” of withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
Signed in 1987 by Washington and Moscow, the INF Treaty banned the deployment of ground-based missile systems with ranges of more than 500 kilometers (approx. 310 miles).
In 2019, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the treaty, claiming that Russia had violated its terms—an allegation Moscow denies.
Last month, Mr. Putin threatened to resume production of Russian medium-range missiles that had been previously banned under the INF Treaty.
According to Moscow, the United States is currently producing its own medium-range missiles and has already deployed them in Europe and Southeast Asia.
On July 28, Mr. Putin said Russia would lift its moratorium on the deployment of medium-range missiles if the United States followed through with its planned missile deployments to Germany.
He added that U.S. missiles fired from Germany—potentially carrying nuclear payloads—would be able to strike targets inside Russia in less than 10 minutes.
“We will take tit-for-tat measures on their deployment, considering the actions of the United States and its satellites,” the Russian leader said, referring to Washington’s NATO allies.
In response to The Epoch Times’ request for comment on Mr. Putin’s remarks, the U.S. Defense Department stated, “We have nothing to read out at this time.”
The State Department spokesperson was more forthcoming, saying, “It is the Kremlin that started this war [in Ukraine], and Putin could end it today.”
