Did Putin’s Missiles Force Trump to Break the Nuclear Treaty? Russia Fired 23 Times at Ukraine in Three Months

Moscow (The Uttam Hindu): Russia’s repeated use of a treaty-banned missile in Ukraine has reignited debate over the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which the United States withdrew from during Donald Trump’s presidency. Reports indicate that Russian forces have fired the 9M729 cruise missile, a weapon once prohibited under the treaty 23 times in the past three months, targeting various Ukrainian regions.

Military analysts say the 9M729 missile, capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads, can travel up to 2,500 kilometers, well beyond the treaty’s 500 km limit. Ukrainian defense sources claim that one missile recently struck a target from nearly 1,200 km away, the longest known range so far.

Experts suggest that Moscow’s consistent violation of the INF Treaty terms was a key reason behind Trump’s 2019 decision to exit the pact, accusing Russia of secret missile development and deployment. The recent strikes appear to confirm those earlier suspicions, further straining global arms control efforts.

With the treaty now defunct, both Russia and the United States are free to develop and deploy intermediate-range weapons. Western nations fear this could trigger a new arms race, destabilizing Europe’s security environment and escalating the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.