Putin demands US assurances on security as Russia completes hypersonic weapons test
Russia last tested its Zircon hypersonic weapon in November
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Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced caution over drawing his country into any conflict even as he confirmed that the Russian military conducted a hypersonic missile test Thursday night.
During a four-hour marathon news conference Thursday, Putin insisted that Russia wishes to avoid conflict over Ukraine, but he asked for other nations to provide "immediate" assurances.
"You must give us guarantees, and immediately – now," he said regarding a proposal Russia handed to the United States this month in a move to defuse tensions over Ukraine. Satellite imagery released last month showed Russia amassing over 100,000 troops at the border.
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Putin claimed the U.S. had responded positively to the security proposal and said he was hopeful about negotiations next year in Geneva, Reuters reported.
"We are also prepared to discuss them [security guarantees] on the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] platform. I hope this initial positive response and the announcement that this work could possibly start in the near future, during the first days of January, would enable us to move ahead," Putin said.
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RUSSIA WILL ENGAGE IN US SECURITY TALKS AS TENSIONS ESCALATE OVER UKRAINE
Former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev said he believed such talks will prove fruitful for global stability, calling it "necessary" to expand the agenda and tackle "difficult moments."
But even as Putin talked of defusing tensions he confirmed Friday that Russia tested a hypersonic missile, which he lauded as a part of a new generation of unrivaled arms systems, Interfax reported.
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Hypersonic weapons tests have driven new tensions in global negotiations as nations acknowledge them as the new measure of military capability.
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Russia previously tested its Zircon hypersonic weapon in November, hitting a practice target some 215 nautical miles away, Defense News reported.
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A Biden administration official told reporters that the U.S. will provide a full response to Russia’s proposals in January.
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"I expect we will have our substantive response in those (January) talks.... clearly there are some things that have been proposed that we’ll never agree to," the official, who requested to remain anonymous, told reporters. "I think the Russians probably know that on some level. I think there are other areas where we may be able to explore what's possible."