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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for decisive action from world leaders following Russia’s use of an experimental hypersonic missile against Ukraine, warning that the strike marked a major increase in the war’s “scale and brutality.”
“This is an obvious and serious increase in the scale and brutality of this war,” Zelensky said on Telegram. “This… is damning proof that Russia definitely does not want peace.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, describing it as a test of a new intermediate-range hypersonic weapon. He hinted that the missile, dubbed “Oreshnik,” could be armed with a nuclear warhead in the future.
Putin framed the strike as retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles against Russian territory. Zelensky, however, accused Russia of seeking to spread instability and called on the international community to take immediate and forceful action.
“The world must react. Right now, there is no strong reaction from the world,” Zelensky said. “It is necessary to urge Russia to a true peace, which is possible only through force. Otherwise, there will be relentless Russian strikes, threats and destabilization, and not only against Ukraine.”
The White House has condemned Russia’s strike, with spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre accusing Moscow of escalating “at every turn.” She vowed continued U.S. support for Ukraine in the remaining months of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Despite Russia’s recent updates to its nuclear doctrine and what Jean-Pierre called “irresponsible” rhetoric from Moscow, the U.S. has not altered its nuclear posture.
“We have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture or doctrine in response to Russia’s statements,” she told reporters.
Moscow said it informed the United States 30 minutes before firing the Oreshnik missile via an automatic nuclear de-escalation hotline, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told state media late Thursday.
The attack comes just days after the U.S. authorized Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles within Russian territory.
