Russia strikes Ukraine with 9M729 missiles that led Trump to quit nuclear treaty — Reuters

In recent months, Russia has attacked Ukraine with a cruise missile, the secret development of which prompted Donald Trump to abandon the nuclear arms control pact with Moscow during his first term as US President.

Comments by Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiga are the first confirmation that Russia has used the 9M729 ground-based missile in combat operations, whether in Ukraine or elsewhere.

According to the agency's source, Russia has launched these missiles 23 times since August, with two more launches recorded in 2022. One of them flew more than 1,200 km before hitting its target on October 5.

Missile that changed INF Treaty

The 9M729 missile led to the United States' withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019. Washington claimed that the missile violated the treaty and could fly far beyond its 500 km range, although Russia denied this.

According to the US Center for Strategic and International Studies, the missile, which can carry a nuclear or conventional warhead, has a range of up to 2,500 km.

Meanwhile, a military source reported that the missile launched by Russia on October 5 flew more than 1,200 km to its target in Ukraine.

Demonstration of Putin's disrespect for US

According to Sybiha, Russia's use of the banned 9M729 missile against Ukraine in recent months demonstrates Russia's Vladimir Putin's disrespect for the US and President Trump's diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

He also told Reuters that Kyiv supports Trump's peace proposals and that maximum pressure should be exerted on Russia to achieve peace, noting that strengthening Ukraine's long-range firepower would help convince Moscow to end the war.

Question for European security

The use of the 9M729 expands Russia's arsenal of long-range weapons for strikes against Ukraine and fits a pattern of Moscow sending threatening signals to Europe while Trump seeks a peaceful settlement, Western military analysts said.

"I think Putin is trying to ramp up pressure as part of the Ukraine negotiations," the expert said, adding that the 9M729 was designed to hit targets in Europe.

Analysts believe that the 9M729 gives Russia the ability to strike from deep within its own territory, bypassing air defense systems.

Experts also warn that if the use of such missiles is confirmed, it will pose a threat not only to Ukraine but also to the entire European security.

Fragments of missile

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not provide details or dates of the 9M729 missile strikes. A senior official said they began on August 21, less than a week after the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.

The agency examined photographs of debris after a Russian strike on October 5 on a residential building in the village of Lapaivka, where four people were killed, more than 600 km from the Russian border. The photo shows two fragments of the missile, including a tube with cables, which were identified as 9M729.

One expert noted that the appearance of the tube, engine, and fairing matches that of the 9M729 missile, and the markings confirm the identification.

Strike from rear

Russia has various missiles capable of reaching Ukraine, including the sea-based Kalibr and the air-based Kh-101. But experts emphasized that the 9M729 gives Russia new attack vectors, making them more difficult to intercept by air defenses and increasing the total number of available missiles.

Last week, Russia announced that it had tested its Burevestnik cruise missile with a nuclear engine, and on Wednesday, it announced that it had tested the Poseidon nuclear torpedo.

On Thursday, Trump ordered the US military to resume nuclear weapons testing, citing other countries' testing programs.