Moscow, Aug. 6 -- Russia has formally announced its withdrawal from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The Kremlin has blamed the American deployment of nuclear submarines and "the actions of Western countries" for creating a "direct threat" to Russia's security.

The INF Treaty, signed in 1987 by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan, aimed to eliminate an entire class of ground-launched nuclear missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km. It effectively banned short- and medium-range nuclear weapons, significantly reducing the risk of nuclear confrontation in Europe.

Although the United States withdrew from the treaty in 2019 during Trump's first term, citing alleged Russian viol...