Following the withdrawal by the United States and Russia from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), Ukraine reserves the right to design new weapons it deems necessary to ensure its defense, including intermediate-range missiles, Ukrainian diplomats said late on March 7.
In a statement, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry reiterated its support for Washington, which suspended its participation in the treaty on Feb. 1, citing Russia’s longstanding failure to comply with the agreement struck by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987.
Under the landmark treaty, the two nations agreed to eliminate an entire class of land-based ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.
Following U.S. withdrawal, Moscow, the main legal successor of the Soviet Union, also suspended its participation in the treaty under a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 4.
The Ukrainian ministry in its statement denounced Russia’s withdrawal, noting “numerous flagrant violations” by Moscow as a main cause of the agreement’s collapse. It noted that the United States had exercised its right to withdraw “due to exceptional circumstances endangering its prime interests,” as provided under Article 15 of the treaty.
“Ukraine and its U.S. partners condemns the development and tests of Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh ballistic missile, which has an effective range of nearly 2,200 kilometers, as well as the upgrading of the combat capabilities of the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile complex, particularly through the modernization of the system’s cruise missiles,” the ministry said.
“The Iskander-M was spotted during military exercises in Ukraine’s Russian occupied territory of Crimea.”
Russia’s military pressure on the NATO allies in Europe via withdrawal from the INF treaty endangers the whole continent and aims to impose Moscow’s total control of a vast area, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, the ministry said.
It said that even though the Verkhovna Rada never officially ratified the treaty, Ukraine had always voluntarily observed its ban on missiles with ranges exceeding 500 kilometers.
However, under the present circumstances, Ukraine no longer considers itself bound by this limitation, the statement said.
Ukraine, since Russia’s launched its war of aggression in the Donbas in 2014, has made some progress in developing its missile defenses, officially proclaiming this to be one of top long-term strategic priorities.
Kyiv has modernized some of its old Soviet-era missile arsenals, and has designed brand new weapons. In late 2018, it brought into operation the 300-millimeter Vilkha multiple rocket launch system, an extensive modernization of the Soviet 9K58 Smerch system.
Ukraine has also developed and started testing its new Neptune anti-ship cruise missile, which is expected to be put into military service in next few years.
In late 2018, the military also tested a new modernized version of S-125 surface-to-air missile system adapted for coastal defenses.
None of these missiles, however, exceed the range limit of 500 kilometers imposed by the INF treaty.
