Free Republic

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia has started production of its newest hypersonic missiles and reaffirmed its plans to deploy them to ally Belarus later this year. Sitting alongside Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Valaam Island near St. Petersburg, Putin said the military already has selected deployment sites in Belarus for the Oreshnik intermediate range ballistic missile.… Putin has praised the Oreshnik’s capabilities, saying its multiple warheads that plunge to a target at speeds up to Mach 10 are immune to being intercepted and are so powerful that the use of several of them in one...

Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country needed security guarantees from Nato and more weapons to defend itself before any talks with Russia.Ukraine’s president made the comments after meeting Kaja Kallas, the EU’s new head of diplomacy, and Antonio Costa, freshly appointed president of the European Council, who were visiting Kyiv as a show of support on their first day in office.“An invitation for Ukraine to join Nato is a necessary thing for our survival,” Mr Zelensky said at a press conference with Mr Costa.It comes after Mr Zelenksy appeared to shift his position dramatically on Friday by accepting that Ukraine...