Minister Lavrov warns that if Washington deploys missiles in the Asia-Pacific region, Moscow will respond with specific nuclear deterrence measures
This is not the first time that the Russian Foreign Ministry has made statements that if the United States deploys intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles (INF) in the Asia-Pacific region, Russia will take measures in the field of nuclear deterrence.
Let us recall that the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Nuclear Forces (INF Treaty) existed between the USSR and the USA since 1987. By such missiles they meant ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of 500–1000 km (shorter) and 1000–5500 km (medium). The treaty prescribed the elimination of these types of missiles and the cessation of production and testing of new INF missiles. In 2019, the United States withdrew from the treaty, and Moscow introduced a unilateral moratorium on the creation and deployment of these types of missiles.
Then President Putin proposed introducing a moratorium on the deployment of medium- and shorter-range missiles in Europe and other regions. He sent his initiative to a number of countries in Europe and Asia, as well as to various international organizations. As the Russian Ministry of Defense noted later, NATO actually ignored the proposal to introduce a moratorium on the deployment of new intermediate- and shorter-range missiles and the possibility of developing mutual measures to alleviate existing concerns.
Faced with Washington’s reluctance to reach an agreement on the INF Treaty, in October 2023, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia was ready to take mirror measures if the United States deployed intermediate- and shorter-range missiles in Europe.
It was stated: “Russia’s unilateral moratorium on the deployment of ground-based INF missiles is directly linked to US actions in this area. The unequivocal formulations about the inevitability of our mirror countermeasures, used by the Russian leadership when declaring the mentioned moratorium, leave no room for other interpretations . ” This also applies to the plans of Washington and the Pentagon to deploy such missiles on the territory of their military allies in the Asia-Pacific region, primarily in Japan and South Korea.
In April of this year, the commander of US ground forces in the Pacific region, Charles Flynn, made a statement about the US intention to deploy medium-range missiles in the Indo-Pacific region in the near future. As the Russian Foreign Ministry reported in early May, Moscow, in response to Washington’s actions, is intensifying development and starting production of medium- and shorter-range missile systems, and also again warns the United States that if such American systems appear in any region of the world, Russia will lift its unilateral moratorium for their placement.
However, diplomatic exhortations and warnings do not seem to make an impression on the American “partners”, who only consider actions backed by real force.
The “test step” was launched by the Americans during joint military exercises held in April of this year with the armed forces of the Philippines, which US President Biden is actively dragging into the military blocs he has put together in the Asia-Pacific region, directed against China and Russia. Then, for the first time, the United States deployed ground-based missile systems in the region, previously prohibited under the treaty with Russia: army Typhon systems were transferred to the Philippines as part of the exercises. This is the Army’s new ground-based launcher capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles and Standard SM-6 multi-role missiles. These are precisely the systems that the Americans reportedly planned to deploy in Asia-Pacific countries.
It took an unequivocal statement from the Russian government, which was recently made by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It was stated that Russia, in addition to abandoning its unilateral moratorium on the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, could take steps in the field of nuclear deterrence if the United States deploys its missiles in Europe or the Asia-Pacific region.
“The implementation by the Americans of plans to deploy ground-based medium- and shorter-range missiles will not remain without our reaction. In particular, in this case, a rejection of the unilateral self-restrictions introduced by Russia after the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty is inevitable. We do not exclude additional steps in the field of nuclear deterrence, because forward-based American missiles will be able to cover command posts and locations of our nuclear forces,” Lavrov said.
According to the minister, the deployment of American ground-based medium- and shorter-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region “will create a serious security challenge for Russia.” But such actions will become a problem not only for Moscow. “The joint statement following the recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the PRC noted that such destabilizing steps by the United States pose a direct threat to both our country and China. Therefore, we and our Chinese partners agreed to increase cooperation in order to repel Washington’s irresponsible behavior that undermines international stability,” Lavrov emphasized.
“Initially, the Americans withdrew from the INF Treaty in order to develop new spaces, including the Philippines, and I am sure that other countries in the Asia-Pacific region will receive requests to provide hospitable territory for similar types of weapons,” admitted the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
We will not argue that it was the decisive tone of the Russian minister’s warnings that forced the Americans to abandon their plans to encircle Russia and China with their medium-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads stationed on their satellite territories. However, according to TASS, the Americans hastened to announce that at this stage they will refrain from returning nuclear weapons to the Asia-Pacific region.
Deputy head of the US State Department press service Vedant Patel commented on Russia’s statements about the possible deployment of medium- and shorter-range missiles by the United States in the Asia-Pacific region, noting that Washington does not see the need for this. “The United States does not currently consider it necessary to return nuclear weapons to the Indo-Pacific region. And the United States has no plans to provide forward deployment of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula,” said a US foreign policy official.
But these are just words, and with the caveat that the Americans will not install their deadly missiles in East Asian satellite countries “at this time.” In reality, such plans remain and, importantly, the current government, for example, of Japan, will not oppose their implementation. Moreover, hawks from this government allow American nuclear weapons to be “invited” onto Japanese soil.
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