Wants to contain Western aid to Ukraine: Putin is talking about the production of medium-range missiles

Wants to contain Western aid to Ukraine: Putin is talking about the production of medium-range missiles Irina Martsiyash

Putin said that Russia should resume the production of short and medium range missiles/Channel 24 Collage, Getty Images00:0000:281x 1xAudio synthesized using AI.More Audio News

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has spoken of resuming production of medium- and short-range missiles. According to analysts, in this way he is trying to influence Western decisions, especially at key moments in political discussions about military assistance to Ukraine.

This is said in a new report from the Institute for the Study of War.

Putin and speech on nuclear threats

Putin on June 28 ordered the production and deployment of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles following the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War suggest that this is likely part of the Kremlin's ongoing campaign of reflexive control aimed at influencing Western decision-making in Russia's favor.

The head of the Kremlin took part in meeting of the Russian Security Council, at which he stated that Russia had promised to comply with the INF Treaty banning the production and deployment of ground-launched intermediate-range missiles until the United States violated these provisions, and now Russia must also produce and deploy such systems.

The United States suspended participation in the INF Treaty on February 1, 2019 and withdrew from the treaty on August 2, 2019 due to Russian violations of the treaty related to the development, testing and deployment of intermediate-range missiles, and Russia in response, it suspended its participation in the INF Treaty on February 2, 2019.

Putin, in particular, mentioned two bilateral US military exercises in 2024: one with the Philippines in Northern Luzon (Philippines) on April 11 and the second with Denmark near the island of Bornholm (Denmark) on May 3 – 5.

As ISW noted, both of these bilateral US exercises involved the Typhoon medium-range launcher, which, according to the US, can launch SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles. SM-6 missiles have a maximum range is 370 kilometers, and Tomahawks – about 2,500 kilometers. US officials did not specify which missiles, if any, could be used in both exercises.

Analysts. suggest that Putin is likely using the exercise as a scapegoat for his broader campaign of reflexive control to thwart Western military aid to Ukraine.

These exercises by the United States and its partners included launchers capable of launching missiles that could pose a variety of threats to Russia from the exercise sites. The island of Bornholm is located approximately 300 kilometers from the western coast of the Kaliningrad region and approximately 1,400 kilometers from Moscow. involved the transport of a Typhoon launcher from land to shore as part of a convoy defense rehearsal, indicating that shorter-range weapons were likely used in these exercises.

Nearest to the Philippines, the Russian border area – the area southwest of Vladivostok – is about 2,800 kilometers from Northern Luzon, beyond the range of Tomahawk missiles. Analysts noted that Putin's statement came after China belatedly condemned the US military exercises in Northern Luzon on May 30. Putin likely cited the Philippines exercises in part to position himself vis-à-vis China, North Korea and Vietnam as he tries to build a coalition of states in support of a new “Eurasian security architecture.”

The Kremlin has cited fears of nuclear confrontation between Russia and the West throughout its full-scale invasion to push the West to withdraw from providing Ukraine with the weapons needed to maintain its defenses against Russian forces.

Analysts say the Kremlin is especially active in using these efforts at key moments in political discussions in the West regarding the provision of further military assistance to Ukraine.