Russia announced Monday it will no longer be bound by a self-imposed restriction on the deployment of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles, pointing to efforts by the U.S. and its allies to develop and deploy similar weapons systems in Europe and Asia.

Russia said on Tuesday that it would no longer place any limits on where it deploys intermediate-range missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking a day after Russia said it was lifting what it called a unilateral moratorium on deploying intermediate-range missiles,

In a statement Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry linked the decision to efforts by the U.S. and its allies to develop intermediate range weapons and preparations for their deployment in Europe and other parts of the world.