Deputy FM: Russia takes into account potential US missile deployment in Japan

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has said that Russia is factoring in the possible deployment of US missiles, previously banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, on Japanese territory as part of its military planning.

"We are aware of this and are incorporating it into our military planning. If these missiles are deployed—though, for now, these are just plans and ideas—there will be a response, as Russian President [Vladimir Putin] has said," Rudenko noted, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

US Army Secretary Christine Wormuth previously stated that the US is interested in temporarily deploying ground-based intermediate-range missiles, which were banned under the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, on Japanese territory for training exercises.

Earlier this year, during joint US-Philippines exercises, the US deployed an intermediate-range missile system in the northern part of the island nation, a move that was met with strong opposition from Beijing.  

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the US in 1987. It prohibited the deployment of missile launchers, ground-based ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometres. In 2019, the US withdrew from the treaty.

In response, Moscow expressed its willingness to refrain from producing and deploying such missiles, as long as Washington did not deploy these systems in any region of the world. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reaffirmed that Moscow remains committed to this moratorium.