Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested a “missile duel” with the United States that would demonstrate how Russia’s new hypersonic ballistic missile, Oreshnik, could defeat any U.S. missile defense system.
As reported by Reuters, Putin made these comments during a media conference.
He has used the missile, which is believed to be nuclear-capable, as a way to threaten the West.
In response to Western skepticism regarding the Oreshnik missile, the Russian president proposed that both sides select a specific target to be defended by U.S. missiles.
“We are ready for such an experiment,” Putin was quoted as saying.
Russia first launched the Oreshnik missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on November 21, in what Putin described as a response to the first use of U.S. ATACMS ballistic missiles by Ukraine and British Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian territory, with the West’s approval. U.S. and UK sources at the time indicated that they believed this was an experimental nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a medium-range (IRBM), which has a theoretical range under 3,420 miles (5,500 km). This range is sufficient to reach Europe from the launch site in southwestern Russia, but not the U.S. itself.
