Putin boasts Russia’s nukes can evade missile defenses
Trump announces sale of weapons to Ukraine
MOSCOW — An underwater drone armed with a nuclear warhead powerful enough to sweep away coastal facilities and aircraft carriers.
A hypersonic vehicle impossible to intercept as it flies in a cloudof plasma “like a meteorite.”
“Menacing” intercontinental ballistic missiles.
President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia has these new strategic weapons and many more, declaring: “No one has listened to us. You listen to us now.”
The claim drew a rebuke from the White House and raised the specter of a rekindled Cold War-style arms rivalry. It also came the same day that the Trump administration told Congress that it plans to sell 210 anti-tank missiles
to Ukraine to help it defend its territory from Russia, in an escalation of U.S. assistance to Ukraine’s military.
Using some of the most aggressive language he has deployed since President Donald Trump has been in office, Mr. Putin unveiled a catalog of doomsday machines in his annual stateof-the-nation speech, saying that Russia had to build them to counter the potential threat posed by the U.S. missile defense system.
For the first time, Mr. Putin claimed that Russia had successfully tested nuclear-propulsion engines that would allow nucleartipped cruise missiles and underwater drones to travel for virtually unlimited distances and evade traditional defenses.
In a touch of dark humor, he invited Russians to enter a contest to name some of the weapons.
Mr. Putin made clear that his declaration of Russian prowess was aimed at the U.S., which he accused of fomenting a new arms race by resisting arms-control negotiations, developing new missile-defense systems, and adopting a more aggressive posture in its nuclear strategy.
It wasn’t immediately possible to assess whether the weapons could do what Mr. Putin said or how ready they are for deployment.
The White House said Mr. Putin confirmed what the U.S. has already known: that Russia has been developing “destabilizing weapons systems for over a decade in direct violations of its treaty obligations.”
Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mr. Trump understands the threats and that America is “moving forward to modernize our nuclear arsenal and ensure our capabilities are unmatched.”
Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said the U.S. military is prepared to defend the nation.
Some analysts said Mr. Putin’s statements may speed up what they see as an emerging arms race with the U.S. Last month the U.S. cast Russia as the main reason it needs to develop two new nuclear weapons: a warhead for a submarinelaunched ballistic missile and a sea-launched nuclear cruise missile.
And the long-awaited plan announced Thursday to sell Ukraine hundreds of anti-tank missiles, which lawmakers of both parties have been urging for years, deepens America’s involvement in the conflict there and may further strain relations with Moscow.
Washington has consistently argued that missile defense systems in Europe aren’t aimed at Moscow but designed to defend against threats from Iran, North Korea and rogue threats.
Mr. Putin has shrugged off those arguments and said Thursday the U.S. has underestimated Russia’s ability to mount a response.
The U.S. should now revise its Russia policy and engage in a serious dialogue on global security, he said. “You will have to assess that new reality and become convinced that what I said today isn’t a bluff.”
He said the creation of the new weapons has made NATO’s U.S.-led missile defense “useless,” putting an end to what he described as years of Western efforts to weaken Russia.
“I want to tell all those who have fueled the arms race over the last 15 years, sought to win unilateral advantages over Russia, introduced unlawful restrictions and sanctions aimed to contain our country’s development: All what you wanted to impede with your policies has now happened,” he said. “You have failed to contain Russia.”
Mr. Putin is seeking another six-year term in a March 18 election, which he is expected to win easily. His address was accompanied by videos and computer simulations shown on giant screens.
He said the nuclear-powered cruise missile, tested last fall, has a “practically unlimited” range, and its high speed and maneuverability allow it to pierce any missile defense.
He emphasized that the new weapons were designed in full compliance to the U.S.-Russian arms control agreements, adding that Russian military experts and diplomats would be ready to discuss new weapons systems with their U.S. counterparts.
“We aren’t threatening anyone, we aren’t going to attack anyone, we aren’t going to take anything from anyone,” he said. “The growing Russian military power will guarantee global peace.”