Moscow has accused Washington of undermining the global arms control framework
The successful testing of the hypersonic Oreshnik missile last month represented Russia’s response to the US deployment of its mid-range rockets to Europe, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated.
The intermediate-range ballistic missile system, which can carry multiple warheads, including nuclear ones, was first used on November 21, when it struck Ukraine’s Yuzhmash military industrial facility in the city of Dnepr. Commenting on the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Oreshnik warheads travel at ten times the speed of sound and cannot be intercepted by any existing air defenses.
In an interview with Russian media on Sunday, Lavrov pointed out that following the unilateral US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, Moscow continued to abide by the key limits set by the Cold War-era accord. However, “today it’s clear, for example, that our [self-imposed] moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles is practically unviable and we will have to abandon it,” the Russian foreign minister stated.
Lavrov accused Washington of ignoring the requests of Moscow and Beijing not to deploy this class of rockets overseas. In light of this, Russia has been compelled to respond, with the “recent test of the newest mid-range supersonic Oreshnik system, conducted under combat conditions, convincingly demonstrating our capabilities and determination to take compensatory measures,” the diplomat clarified.
According to the minister, “as a result of the US’ destructive policy, the foundations of strategic stability have been considerably shaken, and in some areas destroyed.” Lavrov added that considering Washington’s “extremely anti-Russian” stance at present, Moscow doesn’t intend to re-engage in an arms control dialogue with Washington any time soon.
The official emphasized that Russia nevertheless still adheres to certain limits stipulated by previous agreements. However, Moscow reserves the right to review these approaches, depending on evolving threats to its national security posed by the US and its NATO allies.
On Thursday, President Putin said that while Russia does not “have many of the Oreshnik systems yet,” it does “not rule out the possibility of using it today or tomorrow, if there is a need.” The head of state also confirmed that several units would be deployed to Russia’s close ally, Belarus.
Earlier this month, Putin similarly stated that the development of the Oreshnik came in response to the US decision to station its medium-range missiles in Western Europe.
