Pentagon ‘concerned’ by Russia’s new hypersonic missile
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh has said that Russia’s newly battle-tested hypersonic missile poses a threat to Ukraine, but dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning to NATO as “reckless rhetoric” rather than a credible threat.
On Thursday, Putin announced that the nation’s military launched its new hypersonic ballistic missile – the Oreshnik – against a military industrial facility in Ukraine. The strike was a response to what Putin described as the “aggressive actions of NATO member states,” warning that Moscow reserves the right to target military facilities in countries that allow their weapons to be used against Russian territory.
At a press briefing later that day, Singh said, “any weapon that’s going to be employed on the battlefield absolutely imposes a threat to the Ukrainians.”
“So, this was a new type of lethal capability that was employed on the battlefield. So that’s certainly a concern to us. And we’re going to – I don’t have an assessment of its impacts right now, but it’s something that of course we’re concerned by,” Singh told journalists.
“But again, Ukraine has withstood countless attacks from Russia, including missiles with significantly larger warheads than this weapon. So, we’re going to continue to support Ukraine with what it needs,” she said.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre stated that Washington “will not be deterred” and will continue to provide military aid to Kiev
Earlier this week, Putin ordered the enactment of the country’s new nuclear doctrine, in which an attack against Russia by a non-nuclear country backed by a nuclear power should be considered a joint attack by both. Both the White House and the Pentagon called this development concerning and escalatory, but said it would not lead to any changes in the US nuclear posture.
“Of course, we’re going to take seriously the rhetoric coming out of Russia. But our focus remains on arming Ukraine and supporting Ukraine what it needs the most on the battlefield,” Singh stated, highlighting the latest $275 million package of weapons for Kiev and promising even more “in the weeks and months ahead left of this administration.”
Outgoing US President Joe Biden authorized the use of American-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) for strikes inside Russia’s pre-2014 borders for the first time this week, though Washington has yet to officially confirm this. He also reversed his own policy against supplying Ukraine with anti-personnel landmines as part of a broader effort to bolster Kiev before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next year.
Moscow has accused the West of waging a proxy war against Russia and using Ukrainians as cannon fodder. US and UK officials have openly referred to Ukraine as a Western “battle lab” and “military innovation laboratory.” Even Kiev’s former defense minister, Aleksey Reznikov, described his country as a perfect “testing ground” for the “military industry of the world.”
Putin referred to the launch of the Oreshnik missile, which can reportedly travel up to 5,000km at speeds of up to Mach 10 (2.5 to 3 kilometers per second), as a successful “combat test.” Moscow will use it if necessary to respond decisively to any aggression, he said, promising to warn civilians about the strikes well in advance “without fear of counter-moves by the enemy.”
“Why without fear? Because there are no means of countering such weapons today,” Putin stated. “Air defense systems currently available in the world and missile defense systems being developed by the Americans in Europe cannot intercept such missiles.”
