"The new intermediate-range missile system with the hypersonic Oreshnik missile will be put on combat duty this year", Russian President Vladimir Putin stated during a meeting with Ministry of Defense officials on 17/12, without specifying a precise date.

He also mentioned recent tests of the Burevestnik missile and Poseidon torpedo, highlighting them as "unique" weapons due to their nuclear propulsion, which will ensure "strategic security balance" for decades. President Putin affirmed that Russia will continue to refine and improve the Burevestnik missile and Poseidon torpedo.

The Kremlin leader also addressed the modernization of the nation's nuclear arsenal. "92% of Russia's nuclear forces have been modernized. No other nuclear power in the world has achieved that", President Putin stated.

Putin at a meeting with Russian Ministry of Defense officials in Moskva on 17/12. *Photo: AP*

The Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile was first used by Russia in an attack on the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, in 11/2024. Russian officials claim Oreshnik reaches speeds over 10 times the speed of sound, equivalent to nearly 11,000 km/h.

Beyond its high speed, the missile also incorporates multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (mirv) technology, allowing each missile to carry up to 36 warheads.

President Putin previously asserted that no Western air defense system could intercept the Oreshnik missile. Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrsky stated in January that few missile shields globally are currently capable of countering Oreshnik, acknowledging Ukraine does not possess such weapons.

President Putin announced on 1/8 that Russia had begun mass production of Oreshnik missiles, and the military had received the first complex.

Also during the 17/12 meeting, Putin stated that Russia prioritizes diplomatic means to achieve its objectives and "eliminate the root causes" of the conflict, but is prepared to continue using military measures if Ukraine and the West refuse to engage in substantive dialogue.

Russia has repeatedly affirmed that Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO, along with the alliance's eastward expansion, are the root causes of the conflict.

Putin once again accused the West, specifically the administration of former US President Joe Biden, of igniting the conflict in Ukraine. While still hoping Europe will return to dialogue with Russia, the Kremlin leader believes this scenario is unlikely "with the current elites."

The Russian President stated that the US has expressed readiness for dialogue, and Moskva is engaging with Washington on this. "I hope the same will happen with Europe", he added.

Pham Giang (*According to Izvestia, Euronews, Reuters*)