Zelensky dismisses Putin’s missile challenge

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s suggestion to test air defences with a new hypersonic missile, questioning the rationality of such a proposal.

Speaking at a news conference, Zelensky responded to Putin’s challenge asking, “Do you think he is a sane person?” Reuters reported.

During his annual press conference in Moscow, Putin claimed the West’s air defence systems could not intercept Russia’s new medium-range Oreshnik missile.

He proposed targeting a site in Kyiv protected by air defences as what he termed “a high-tech experiment of the 21st century.”

The Russian president expressed readiness to demonstrate the missile’s capabilities against Western defence systems.