(Photo by Thomas Peter - Pool/Getty Images)
FOX NEWS - Russia is developing a new set of strategic nuclear weapons that can't be intercepted, Vladimir Putin claimed Thursday, marking a breakthrough that could dramatically increase the country's military capabilities.
The Russian president made the bold claim during his state-of-the-nation speech and said the new weapons include a nuclear-powered cruise missile, a nuclear-powered underwater drone, and a new hypersonic missile.
Putin claimed the new weapons have made NATO's U.S.-led missile defense system "useless," and are a signal to Western powers that efforts to hold Russia in check have failed.
"I want to tell all those who have fueled the arms race over the last 15 years, sought to win unilateral advantages over Russia, introduced unlawful sanctions aimed to contain our country's development: all what you wanted to impede with your policies have already happened," he said. "You have failed to contain Russia."
The Russian leader also warned that Moscow would regard any nuclear attack on its allies as an attack on Russia itself, and the country would respond swiftly, according to Sky News.
"We would consider any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies to be a nuclear attack on our country. The response would be immediate," he told Russian politicians.