Putin Warns the U.S of Cold War-style Missile Crisis
- Putin Warns the U.S of Cold War-style Missile Crisis
- What is the reaction of the US to the warning?
Russian President Vladimir Putin warns the U.S. against cold war deploying long-range missiles in Germany, saying Russia, in that case, would restart production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons and station similar missiles within striking distance of the West.
U.S. on July 10 said it would start deploying long-range missiles in Germany from 2026 as part of a longer-term militarisation that will include SM-6, Tomahawk cruise missiles and developmental hypersonic weapons.
The United States said on July 10 that it would start deploying long-range missiles in Germany from 2026 in preparation for a longer-term deployment that will include SM-6, Tomahawk cruise missiles and developmental hypersonic weapons.
In a speech to sailors from Russia, China, Algeria and India to mark Russian Navy Day in the former imperial capital of St. Petersburg, Putin warned the United States that it risked triggering a Cold War-style missile crisis with the move.
“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 said.
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“We will take mirror measures to deploy, taking into account the actions of the United States, its satellites in Europe and other regions of the world.”
Putin, who sent his army into Ukraine in 2022, casts the war as part of a historic struggle with the West, which he says humiliated Russia after the Soviet Union fell in 1991 by encroaching on what he considers Moscow’s sphere of influence.
Ukraine and the West say Putin is engaged in an imperial-style land grab. They have vowed to defeat Russia, which currently controls about 18% of Ukraine, including Crimea, and parts of four regions in eastern Ukraine.
Russia says the lands, once part of the Russian empire, are now again part of Russia and that they will never be given back.
Cold War: Confrontation
Russian and U.S. diplomats say their diplomatic relations are worse even than during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and both Moscow and Washington have urged de-escalation while both have made steps toward escalation.
Putin highlighted that the United States was escalating tensions by sending Typhon missile systems to Denmark and the Philippines. He drew parallels to the NATO decision in 1979 to deploy Pershing II launchers in Western Europe, stating, “This situation echoes the Cold War era events.” The Pershing II, equipped with a variable-yield nuclear warhead, was stationed in West Germany in 1983.
Back then, General Secretary Yuri Andropov and the Soviet leadership feared these deployments were part of a U.S. strategy to cripple the Soviet Union by targeting its political and military leadership. Putin also warned that Russia might restart production of intermediate-range nuclear-capable missiles in response to the U.S. actions in Europe and Asia.
Russian and US diplomats are expressing concerns that their current relationship is even worse than during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Despite calls for de-escalation, both sides are being accused of actions that could lead to further escalation.
Putin has pointed out that the US has placed Typhon missile systems in Denmark and the Philippines, drawing parallels to the NATO decision to deploy Pershing II launchers in Western Europe back in 1979.
The Soviet leadership, particularly General Secretary Yuri Andropov, viewed the Pershing II deployments as a potential threat to the Soviet Union’s political and military leadership.
Putin remarked, “This situation is reminiscent of the Cold War era when American medium-range Pershing missiles were stationed in Europe.”
During the 1980s, the US deployed Pershing ballistic missiles in West Germany, which continued to be stationed even after the reunification of Germany and into the 1990s.
However, as the threat from Moscow diminished after the Cold War, the US significantly reduced the number of missiles in Europe.
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The Kremlin had previously warned that the proposed US deployment could make European capital targets for Russian missiles, leading to a return to the Cold War era with confrontations.