The head of state said this in a conversation with the honorary general director, honorary general designer of NPO Mashinostroyenia Herbert Efremov on the air of Russia 24.

“The withdrawal of the United States of America from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 forced Russia to start developing hypersonic weapons.

We had to create these weapons in response to the deployment of a strategic missile defense system by the United States, which in the long term would be able to actually neutralize, nullify our entire nuclear potential.

Dear Herbert Alexandrovich, thanks to you, your colleagues, this did not happen, "Putin said.

He recalled that in June 2001, in Plesetsk, he supervised the launch of the first experimental gliding unit, and this launch was successful.

“Over the next years, we have made every possible effort to reach agreements with the American side on the termination of work on strategic missile defense or on its joint implementation in missile-hazardous areas, including with the participation of European states.

However, all our attempts were in vain, ”the President stressed.

The head of state added that in this regard, in 2004, Russia launched a large-scale work to implement the ideas of weapons developers.

On September 19, Vladimir Putin awarded Herbert Efremov with the Order for the development of the Avangard hypersonic unit.

The Russian leader also said that for the first time in modern history, Russia possesses the most advanced weapons, which are many times superior in characteristics to all existing weapons.