Retired Soviet and Russian admiral, Vsevolov Khmyrov spoke of the new Russian 3M22 Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile which he warned could breakthrough any defence system in Eastern Europe if needed. His threat was in reference to the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). Mr Khmyrov indicted that the US left the treaty in order to strengthen its position in Eastern Europe but that the new Russian missile could strike any US target instantly.
He told Russia’s state-run news agency, TASS: “The new missile will ensure the capability to strike key control systems or US command centres.
“Such a hypersonic system like Tsircon practically breaks through any missile defence system.”
While Russia has accused the US of leaving the INF in order to deploy missile systems on its border in Europe, Donald Trump has insisted that the Kremlin had already violated the agreement following the development of the Novator 9M729 missile.
A year on from his State of the Nation address where he unveiled a series of hypersonic missiles and the new nuclear-powered underwater Poseidon drone, Putin has revelled in their development.
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He said that such had been the success in the development of these weapons that they were invisible to any current missile defence system.
The new Tsirkon missile will be able to hit any target within at least 500 kilometres.
Following the end of the INF treaty, tensions between the US and Russia have soared.
Putin also recently threatened that it would match any US missile deployment near its border.
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Worryingly, during his speech, Putin also warned that certain nations would “listen to us now” following Russia’s concerns over arms deployment and control.
Moreover, Russia’s ally Belarus has recently welcomed a possible merger of the two states.
President Alexander Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since 1994 and helped to create the Union State which is a supranational union between Belarus and Russia.
His comments come as Putin questioned whether the US had violated the sovereignty of Eastern European countries following the deployment of US missiles in the area.