Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday challenged the United States to a “duel” to test whether American defense systems can stop the Kremlin's new hypersonic ballistic missile.
At a year-end news conference, President Putin ridiculed Western claims that the new nuclear-capable Oleshnik missile is not as lethal as Russia claims after its limited use against Ukraine. did.
The Russian leader then suggested that the United States choose a target to defend and see if its defense systems were up to the task of stopping Oreshnik.
“We are ready for such an experiment,” Putin said, adding that Western technology “has no chance.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was shocked by Putin's challenge and told reporters it was madness for two superpowers to directly test each other's weapons in this way.
“Do you think he is a sane person?” Zelenskiy asked reporters at a news conference hours later.
Oleshnik, which means hazel tree in Russian, is based on Moscow's RS-26 Lubezh intercontinental ballistic missile and can reportedly carry either conventional or nuclear warheads.
The rocket reached speeds of about 8,500 miles per hour and destroyed military facilities in Dnipropetrovsk after it was launched from Russia's No. 4 Missile Test Range in the Astrakhan region last month.
Officials said the missile could have a range of 310 to 3,400 miles, putting all of Europe at risk.
At the same time as his challenge to the United States, Putin has repeatedly made threats against Kiev, suggesting that Ukraine's “decision-making center” is a viable target for war.
The threat comes after the head of Russia's nuclear weapons department, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, was killed in a scooter explosion in Moscow earlier this week. Kirillov became the highest-ranking Russian official killed since the war began in February 2022.
President Putin is willing to agree to a cease-fire, provided the US does most of the work to get Kiev to agree, even though he claimed to be confident in the progress of Russian aggression. said.
He said he was open to such talks to take place under the incoming Trump administration and warned the United States that Russia was not in a weak position to negotiate.
“If I ever meet the newly elected President Trump, I'm sure we'll have something to talk about,” Putin said.
with post wire
