By: Alexander Zhang

Moscow, Russia- Mr. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, announced on Friday 28th June 2024, that Russia would produce new nuclear missiles, and would consider placing them in countries that are in range of NATO nations.

President Putin said in a televised briefing that, “It appears that we need to begin producing these attack systems and then, based on the actual situation, decide on where to deploy them to ensure our security, if necessary.” Although many experts believe that he was only responding to President Biden allowing Ukrainian troops to fire American ammunition in Russian territory, others believe that the roots of this act goes back to the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, where both the United States and Russia, under President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev respectively, agreed to destroy their intermediate-range nuclear weapons.

As of this moment, the United States and Russia barely have any treaties regarding nuclear weapon controls. When the United States pulled out of the 1987 Treaty after suspicions of Russia violating the treaty, only one treaty was left: the New START limiting the amount of nuclear weapons in both countries, which expires in 2026.

President Putin’s recent actions have led to concerns for the United States and its allies, such as when he went to North Korea to announce a new military partnership between Russia and North Korea. This concerns NATO allies as the two countries could easily forge a close alliance, as they have lots in common: both leaders—President Putin and Kim Jong-Un—have been in office for a large amount of time, and both countries are researching powerful nuclear weapons.

Mr. Putin’s announcement came days before major elections in Britain and France, as well as the 75th NATO summit to be held in Washington, D.C.