Putin said that Russia had tested an array of new nuclear weapons, including a new nuclear-powered missile at the end of 2017 which could reach almost any point in the world and could not be intercepted by anti-missile systems.

“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,” Putin said in a speech to Russian lawmakers.

Vladimir Putin used his state-of-the-nation speech to deliver a stern warning to the U.S. that Russia has a series of new high-technology nuclear weapons that he said can overcome any defenses.

“Efforts to contain Russia have failed, face it,” Putin said in a nearly two-hour address he illustrated with video clips of the new arms, which included underwater drones, intercontinental missiles and a hypersonic system he said “heads for its target like a meteorite.”

He said Russia had long warned the U.S. not to go ahead with anti-missile systems that Moscow feared could erode its nuclear deterrent. “Nobody listened to us. Listen now,” he said.

The unusual display of military might was the most dramatic element of the speech, which started with pledges to deliver a “decisive breakthrough” to boost living standards and raise spending on health and infrastructure. Putin used the annual address to lay out priorities for the fourth presidential term he’s expected to win easily in the March 18 election.

Reuters