Vladimir Putin Hints About Copying USA with 'Preemptive Strike,' Says Russia Has Hypersonic Weapons, Missiles To Do It

Amid escalating Russia-NATO tensions over Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Friday that Moscow might adopt what he described as a US concept of using preemptive military attacks and noted that it had the tools to execute the job.

The United States ambitions to create the so-called Conventional Prompt Global Strike capability, which aims to attack an adversary's key targets with precision-guided conventional weapons anywhere in the world within an hour, have long alarmed the Kremlin.

Vladimir Putin's Jibe at US on 'Pre-emptive' Nuclear Strike

With a slight smile, Putin remarked, "Speaking about a disarming strike, maybe it's worth thinking about borrowing the concepts created by our US colleagues, their ways of assuring their security." He asserted that the United States has not yet deployed hypersonic weapons, whereas Russia has already ordered such weapons. He also stated that Russia possesses cruise missiles superior to their American counterparts, according to AP News.

Putin mentioned that the US hasn't ruled out using nuclear weapons as the initial strike, albeit it seemed that he was referring to conventional precision-guided missiles. Putin's remarks were seen as "saber-rattling" and another covert threat that he may use a tactical nuclear bomb in Washington, according to a US official who spoke on the record under the condition of anonymity.

In reaction to significant military aggression, the source pointed out that Russian military doctrine has consistently indicated that Moscow reserves the right to use nuclear weapons first. The Center for Arms Control and Non-John Proliferation's Erath, senior policy director, agreed that Putin's remarks were yet another effort to ratchet up the nuclear threat.

In response to whether Russia might agree to forego the first strike on Wednesday at a Kremlin conference, Putin said that such a commitment might preclude Russia from using its nuclear weapons even in the case of a nuclear assault. Russian cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons, according to Putin, are "more contemporary and even more efficient" than American counterparts.

Per NDTV, Putin stated that atomic tensions were on the rise on Wednesday, but he stressed that Moscow would not be the first to use nuclear weapons. On the same day, the Russian president was reprimanded by the US State Department, which declared that "any careless language about nuclear weapons is totally reckless."

Russian-Ukraine War

Since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February, the horror of nuclear war has returned to the forefront of public discourse after being absent for decades, underscoring the breakdown of the Cold War-era international security system. Moscow's offensive is on the back foot, and the military standoff has sparked worries that Russia may turn to its nuclear weapons in an effort to make a military breakthrough.

In response to a question about whether Russia might promise to forgo a first strike, Putin said that such a commitment may preclude Russia from using its nuclear weapons even in the case of a nuclear assault on it.

He elaborated on that response on Friday, stating that the "launch on warning" concept, which foresees the deployment of nuclear weapons in the event of an impending nuclear strike detected by its early warning systems, is the foundation of Russia's nuclear strategy.

According to Russia's nuclear doctrine, the nation may deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear assault or a conventional attack that endangers "the very survival" of the Russian state. Putin has frequently stated that Moscow is prepared to defend its territory using "all possible measures" since sending Russian soldiers into Ukraine. He has also rebuffed Western criticism of his nuclear saber-rattling, The Independent reported.