Pentagon: Putin’s Missile Won’t Change Ukraine War’s Course

The Biden administration downplayed the significance of Russia’s new ballistic missile test conducted on Thursday against Ukraine, emphasizing no need to adjust its readiness or nuclear doctrine despite changes in Russia’s strategy.

A U.S. defense official said Washington is carefully analyzing the new missile used by Russia but expressed skepticism that it would “alter the course of the war.”

After a day of speculation about the type of missile launched by Russia, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced it had deployed the “Oreshnik” intermediate-range ballistic missile for the first time in combat operations, targeting a military-industrial complex in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia was not obligated to notify the United States about the strike but did so 30 minutes before the launch.