Lavrov states Oreshnik launch was reply to US army expansion in Europe
(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that the successful test of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile last month was Russia's direct response to the U.S. deployment of intermediate-range missiles to Europe. The missile, which can carry multiple warheads, including nuclear ones, was first used in a strike on Ukraine's Yuzhmash military facility in Dnipro on November 21. Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted that the Oreshnik's warheads travel at ten times the speed of sound, making them nearly impossible to intercept with existing air defenses.
In an interview on Sunday, Lavrov emphasized that while Russia had adhered to the limits set by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, following the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement in 2019, Moscow's self-imposed moratorium on deploying intermediate-range missiles is no longer feasible. He criticized the U.S. for disregarding requests from both Moscow and Beijing to avoid deploying such rockets overseas, forcing Russia to respond with the development and testing of the Oreshnik missile system.
Lavrov argued that U.S. actions have undermined strategic stability, and as a result, Russia will no longer adhere to the constraints of the INF Treaty. He also indicated that due to the current "anti-Russian" stance of Washington, Russia does not plan to resume arms control negotiations with the U.S. in the near future. Despite this, Moscow maintains some limits based on previous agreements, but it reserves the right to adjust these policies depending on evolving security threats from the U.S. and NATO.
President Putin, earlier this month, confirmed that Russia is deploying several Oreshnik missile systems to Belarus, a close ally, and did not rule out their potential use in the near future. The development of the Oreshnik missile is viewed by Russia as a direct countermeasure to the U.S. decision to place medium-range missiles in Europe.
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