Putin warns U.S. against putting missiles in Europe
Russian President Vladimir Putin sternly warned the United States against deploying new missiles in Europe, saying Wednesday that Russia will retaliate by fielding new weapons that will take just as little time to reach their targets.
While the Russian leader didn’t say what specific new weapons Moscow could deploy, his statement further raised the ante in tense relations with Washington.
Speaking in his state-ofthe-nation address, Putin charged that the U.S. has abandoned a key armscontrol pact in order to free up its hands to build new missiles and tried to shift the blame for the move to Russia.
“Our American partners should have honestly said it instead of making unfounded accusations against Russia to justify their withdrawal from the treaty,” Putin said.
The U.S. has accused Russia of breaching the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty by deploying a cruise missile that violates its limits — accusations that Moscow has rejected.
The INF treaty banned production, testing, and deployment of land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,410 miles).
The intermediate-range weapons were seen as particularly destabilizing as they take a shorter time to reach their targets compared to the intercontinental ballistic missiles. That would leave practically no time for decision-makers, raising the likelihood of a global nuclear conflict over a false launch warning.
Putin reaffirmed that Russia will not be the first to deploy new intermediaterange missiles but warned of a quick retaliation if the U.S. puts such weapons in Europe.
“They will only take 10-12 minutes to reach Moscow,” he said. “It’s a very serious threat to us, and we will have to respond.”
He didn’t directly mention the U.S., but noted that the Russian response will be “asymmetrical” and involve new weapons that will reach the enemy’s decision-making centers just as quickly.
The Russian leader said the first batch of Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles will be deployed this year. The military said the weapon can fly 27 times faster than the speed of sound.
Putin said the first submarine equipped to carry the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone will be commissioned this year. The Poseidon can target coastal areas with a heavy nuclear weapon, causing a devastating tsunami.
Putin also announced the coming deployment of the new Zircon hypersonic missile for the Russian navy, saying it’s capable of flying at nine times the speed of sound and will have a range of 620 miles.
But Putin also claimed that Russia still wants friendly relations with Washington and remains open for arms-control talks.
“We don’t want confrontation, particularly with such a global power as the U.S.,” he said.
At the same time, he criticized what he described as “destructive” U.S. policy of targeting Russia with sanctions.