Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that NATO is to blame for Moscow’s decision to withdraw from a longstanding moratorium on missile deployment.

Russia’s foreign ministry announced earlier this week that it would no longer be bound by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The U.S. had withdrawn from the treaty in 2019, but Russian officials had said they would avoid deploying short- and medium-range nuclear missiles so long as the U.S. did the same.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement on the withdrawal of the moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles is the result of NATO countries’ anti-Russian policy,” Medvedev posted Sunday on X.

“This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps,” he added.

In response, Trump announced that the U.S. was redeploying two nuclear submarines to “appropriate regions” closer to Moscow.

The Kremlin released a statement downplaying Medvedev’s comments soon afterward.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime says it approaches nuclear issues with “great caution.” (ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

“We approach any statements related to nuclear issues with great caution,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. “As you know, Russia holds a responsible position. President Putin’s stance is well known.” 

“Russia takes the issue of nuclear non-proliferation very seriously,” he added. “And, of course, we believe that everyone should be extremely careful when it comes to nuclear rhetoric.”

Reuters contributed to this report