Russian President Vladimir Putin announced new measures regarding the missile capabilities of the nuclear triad, ahead of the first anniversary of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

This comes at a time when Moscow announced a practical Chinese move regarding its proposed peace plan.

In a speech at the "Defender of the Fatherland Day" ceremony on Wednesday, Putin said that Moscow will continue to pay attention to strengthening what he described as its nuclear triad, stressing that the conflict is currently taking place over what he described as the historical lands of Russia.

He pointed out that this year will witness the entry of the first platforms of the "Sarmat" missile system into combat service, stressing that Moscow will continue the serial production of "Kinjal" hypersonic missiles.

Putin pointed out that this year will also witness the delivery of large quantities of "Zircon" hypersonic missiles launched from the sea.

Putin's comments came two days after Russia announced it was suspending its participation in the "New START" treaty, the last remaining agreement with Washington to limit the deployment of nuclear warheads to both countries.

American comment

On the other hand, spokeswoman for the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) Sabrina Singh assured reporters yesterday, Wednesday, that "nothing will change regarding the commitments that we are scheduled to fulfill."

She described Russia's decision to freeze the treaty as "unfortunate and irresponsible."

Singh said the US government believes that "a responsible nuclear power needs to continue working with other nations around the world that have these nuclear capabilities," and that Washington takes its New START obligations "very seriously."

Rossi's test failed

In the context, CNN quoted US officials as saying that Russia conducted a failed test of an intercontinental missile last Monday, on the same day that US President Joe Biden visited Ukraine.

And CNN added, quoting its sources, that Russia had previously informed the United States of the launch of the Sarmat missile, nicknamed the Devil, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, but the test failed.

Those sources stated that the test did not pose a threat to the United States, and that Washington did not consider it an escalation.

She indicated that US officials believe that the Russian president was going to talk about the ballistic missile test during his speech on Wednesday, as he did on previous occasions.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow on what US officials said about the failed missile launch.

Chinese peace plan

Meanwhile, Beijing presented in Moscow yesterday its vision for a "political settlement" of the conflict in Ukraine, at the conclusion of Russian-Chinese talks that took place on Wednesday evening in the Russian capital.

After his meeting with the Russian President in Moscow, Chinese foreign policy official Wang Yi affirmed his willingness to play a neutral and constructive role between Russia and Ukraine.

For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that "the Chinese partners informed us of their views on the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, in addition to their approaches to settling it politically," but indicated that "there was no talk of any specific peace plan."

China had promised to publish its proposal for a "political solution" this week on the occasion of the first anniversary of the start of the Russian war on Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

In the same regard, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the US officials' failure to address the desire for a political settlement is evidence of Washington's intention to increase the escalation.

It welcomed China's willingness to play a role in settling the crisis.

Wang Yi (left) during his meeting with the Russian President on Wednesday in Moscow (Anatolia)

Ukrainian welcome

On the other hand, a high-ranking Ukrainian official said on Wednesday that the Chinese government did not consult Kiev while preparing its proposed peace plan for Ukraine.

Oleksandr Kornienko, deputy speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, said that President Volodymyr Zelensky put forward a peace plan during the G-20 meetings.

Kornienko confirmed, in an exclusive interview with Al-Jazeera, that Ukraine welcomed efforts to establish peace, but stipulated that the initiatives be subject to the conditions put forward by the Ukrainian president.

In turn, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, reaffirmed the need to reach a comprehensive peace in Ukraine in line with the values ​​and charter of the international organization.

Guterres said during the emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly on the occasion of the one year anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine, that the war fuels regional instability and global divisions and distracts attention and resources from other crises and pressing global issues.