Russia sends ‘catastrophic’ WW3 warning as Putin tests ‘world’s most powerful nuke’ | World | News

A top Russian diplomat has sent NATO a chilling warning just days after Vladimir Putin confirmed plans to deploy the “most powerful missile in the world”. Barely a week after the Russian leader, 73, boasted about the successful test launch of the Sarmat strategic weapon – known as Satan II – his Deputy Foreign Minister has warned that the likelihood of a ‘head-on clash’ with NATO is rising.

Sergei Ryabkov said talk of “the looming threat of a high-intensity war” is spreading uncontrollably across European capitals, adding that this “escalatory narrative” is needlessly provoking Putin and could lead to “potentially catastrophic consequences”. “As a result of this escalation of tensions, including blatantly provocative moves in the nuclear sphere, strategic risks are increasing, as is the danger of a head-on clash between NATO and our country, with potentially catastrophic consequences as a result,” Ryabkov, 65, told the TASS state news agency.

The senior diplomat said that Russia has “unequivocally expressed its strong criticism” of some European countries running war games in recent weeks, such steps, he said, “are being accompanied by hostile anti-Russian rhetoric and are an element of the broader process of Europe’s accelerated militarisation, directly targeting this country”.

Ryabkov added that there are currently no conditions for a meaningful strategic dialogue, including on arms control. He said that progress is impossible unless the West genuinely considers Russia’s core interests and resolves key security disputes, noting that numerous obstacles have long stood in the way.

This comes just days after the Russian President confirmed a successful test of Russia’s terrifying intercontinental ballistic missile, which he said would be ready for “combat duty” by the end of the year.

Putin boasted that the Satan II – which is said to weigh around 208 tonnes and is as tall as a 14-storey tower block – has the ability to penetrate all existing ​and future anti-missile defence systems.

“The total yield of the delivered warhead is more than four times greater than that of any existing, most powerful Western equivalent,” Putin said. “Most importantly, the missile can travel not only on a ballistic trajectory, but also on a suborbital one.

“Thirdly, this allows for a range of over 35,000 kilometres [21,700 miles] while simultaneously doubling its missile defence performance.”

Earlier this week, Putin and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping signed a joint declaration on Wednesday focused on building a “multipolar world,” which has been viewed as a defiant message to the US, just days after President Donald Trump concluded a visit to Beijing without securing any major deals. Xi described Russian-Chinese relations as a “model” for relations between two major powers. In a veiled swipe at the US, Xi warned of “unilateral and hegemonic countercurrents running rampant”.