PUTIN BOASTS OF ‘INVINCIBLE’ WEAPONRY

Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 1 in his last speech before Russia’s election on March 18, said that Russia has tested new nuclear weapons, reports the BBC, including a new missile and an underwater drone.

Putin now seems to have upped the stakes by claiming to have bigger and better weapons than anyone else on earth. It also comes as a warning to global powers that they must now reckon with Moscow’s military might.

Showing tests of the new missile system he said, “This makes it absolutely invincible for any forms of air and missile defence,” he boasted, calling it an “ideal weapon.” He said of the West, “They need to take account of a new reality and understand ... [this]... is not a bluff.”

During the two-hour televised speech to a joint sitting of both houses of parliament, he said the weapons were a response to US development of its missile defence system.

US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have shared concern over President Vladimir Putin's claim Russia was developing new ‘invincible’ weapons.

Putin's speech has further worsened tensions with the US, which have hit Cold War-era highs over the conflict in Syria and Ukraine as well as accusations that Moscow interfered in the US 2016 election.

Putin now seems to have upped the stakes by claiming to have bigger and better weapons than anyone else on earth. It also comes as a warning to global powers that they must now reckon with Moscow’s military might.