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Defense Ministry: Foreign military agencies take seriously Russia’s newest weapons

Russia's deputy defense minister says foreign military agencies take seriously Russia’s new breakthrough strategic weapons shown by President Vladimir Putin

MOSCOW, March 22./TASS/. Foreign military agencies take seriously Russia’s new breakthrough strategic weapons, animations and video of which were recently shown by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov told the ‘60 Minutes’ program on Rossiya-1 television on Thursday.

"We do have contacts," he said in reply to the question whether foreign military agencies had communicated with the Defense Ministry after President Vladimir Putin’s State of the Nation Address.

"Of course, our colleagues abroad take seriously the demonstration of our newest possibilities. But they must draw correct conclusions. This is not an appeal to a new arms race, but an appeal to sit down at the negotiating table and agree," Borisov said.

Russia’s arms development goes beyond the weapons President Vladimir Putin, unveiled during his State of the Nation Address on March 1, he went on. "We are making progress. The supreme commander-in-chief did not unveil everything that we have in our arsenal," he said.

At the same time, Borisov pointed out that Russia’s newest weapons had been unveiled not to "rattle sabers" and launch an arms race. "It was not the goal. It was a warning to the world that under the current circumstances it is impossible to win unilateral advantages and dominance in a dangerous field such as arms development. Existing challenges will always be followed by new ones," the Russian deputy defense minister noted.

He also said the US must abandon the "Americans-are-best-of-the-lot" rhetoric. "Our planet is very small and fragile, and all of us must find a common language," the military stressed.

US-Russia possible arms race

Russia has a respone to each type of US weapons, he said.

"We have an adequate response to all weapons," the top military said in comments on a statement by US President Donald Trump about a possible arms race with Russia.

On March 20, Donald Trump said the arms race was getting out of control in comments on his telephone conversation on the same day with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In his State of the Nation Address to both houses of Russia’s parliament, Putin announced about the development and trials of the most advanced strategic weapons Russia was creating in response to Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the ABM Treaty and the deployment of the missile shield both on the territory of the United States and outside its national borders.

The breakthrough weapons include the Sarmat new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, the nuclear-powered cruise missile and the drone submarine that can be armed with both conventional and nuclear charges.

The Russian leader stressed that Russia’s growing military might was a reliable guarantee of peace on the planet while all the work to strengthen the country’s defense capability had been carried out within the framework of existing international arms control treaties.