Russian president Vladimir Putin used the state of nation address on Thursday to announce that Russia has developed a missile that no other country has, as well as a new supersonic weapon that cannot be tracked by anti-missile systems.

Putin is hoping to secure a fourth term as president in Russia's upcoming election on March 18, which he is expected to win. State opinion surveys show about 70 percent of Russians favor his reelection.

Russia has tested new nuclear weapons, he said, including a nuclear-powered cruise missile and a nuclear-powered underwater drone that cannot be intercepted by enemies.

NATO buildup on Russia's borders and the US anti-missile system would be rendered useless by Russia's own military buildup, Putin said, adding that Russia did not intend to attack any other country and that the country's military buildup was designed to guarantee peace globally.

Read more: Russia election: Who are Vladimir Putin's challengers?

Political scientist Susanne Spahn told DW that Putin's speech on foreign policy was reminiscent of the Cold War when the US and Europe were singled out as Russia's greatest enemy. "Putin used a very threatening rhetoric towards the West, under to the motto: "In the past, you would not listen to us, then at least listen to us now," Spahn said.

"Putin said he wanted ... Russia to be recognized as an equal partner and world power," she added. "I think this is a way of putting pressure on the West, the US and Europe to see the Russian Federation as an equal partner."

Missiles are 'a violation of arms pact'

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that Putin's new missile presentation "irresponsible" and accused Russia of violating nuclear arms treaties.

"Russia has been developing destabilizing weapons systems for more than a decade in direct violation of its treaty obligations," she said. Nauert added that the announcement violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) pact.

The State Department also condemned the use of an animation that depicted the new missiles striking the United States during Putin's speech. "That's something that we certainly didn't enjoy watching. We don't regard that as the behavior of a responsible international player," Nauert told reporters.

Screenshot from missile presentation with a map that appears to shows part of central Florida.

She added that Putin was "playing to the audience", ahead of the presidential election, when he played the videos showing the missiles.

The US Department of Defense played down the threat of Russia's "invincible missiles". Spokeswoman Dana White said that the Pentagon was "not surprised by (Putin's) statement, and the American people should rest assured that we are fully prepared."

Read more: Opinion: Putin is here to stay, as are tensions with the West

A focus on poverty

At the state of the nation address, Putin also emphasized that Russia needed to improve living standards and halve the country's poverty rate

"[We should] at least halve the poverty rate in the next six years," Putin said, adding that 20 million Russians currently live below the poverty line compared to 42 million in 2000.

Read more: Opinion: In Russia's election, words count more than action

Putin said that in 2017 the living conditions of 3.1 million families improved and that the aim was to do this annually for "no less than" 5 million families.

He said that in the next decade Russia should reach the circle of countries with 80-year-plus life expectancy. Russian life expectancy is currently at 73 years.

Read more: Opinion: Easy game for Vladimir Putin

Julius von Freytag-Loringhoven, head of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation's Moscow office, told DW that Putin must decide whether to invest in Russia's society or its military; there is not enough money for both.

"It was always clear that Putin would promise economic growth, higher wages, more money for education and so on," she said. "But if more money is needed for education and healthcare, it will not be possible for Russia to play Cold War at the same time."

The different faces of Vladimir Putin From KGB to Kremlin Putin joined the KGB, the former Soviet Union's security agency, in 1975. In the 1980s he undertook his first foreign posting as a KGB agent to Dresden, Germany. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Putin returned to Russia and entered Boris Yeltsin's Kremlin. When Yeltsin announced that he wanted Putin as his successor, the way was paved for him to become prime minister.

The different faces of Vladimir Putin First presidency On his appointment, Putin was virtually unknown to the general public. This changed when in August 1999 armed men from Chechnya invaded the neighboring Russian territory of Dagestan. President Yeltsin appointed ex-KGB officer Putin to bring Chechnya back under the central government's control. On New Year's Eve, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and named Putin as acting president.

The different faces of Vladimir Putin Tough guy in the media During an exhibition hockey game in Sochi, Putin’s team won 18-6, with the president scoring eight goals.

The different faces of Vladimir Putin Limited freedom of speech A protester wears a tape over his mouth reading "Putin" during an opposition rally. In 2013 the Kremlin announced that the state-owned news agency, RIA Novosti, was to be restructured and placed under the control of a pro-Kremlin figure known for his extreme anti-Western views. Reporters without Borders ranked Russia as 148 in its list of 178 countries in terms of press freedom.

The different faces of Vladimir Putin Putin's Image: A man of action Putin's image as a man of action, boosted by his having been a KGB spy, has long been part of his appeal in Russia. It is carefully maintained by means of photos where he is seen bare-chested on horseback, or tossing opponents onto a judo mat. In Russia, Putin has earned praise for restoring stability but has also been accused of authoritarianism.

The different faces of Vladimir Putin Stifling democracy When President Putin's United Russia party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in 2007, critics described the vote as neither free nor democratic. Dozens were detained as riot police broke up protests by demonstrators accusing President Putin of stifling democracy. In this rally the poster reads: "Thank you, no!"

The different faces of Vladimir Putin Orchestrated events In Sevastopol, Crimea, Putin looks through the window of a research bathyscaphe in the waters of the Black Sea. This dive in a mini-submarine was only one of his adventurous stunts; he has also been seen tranquilizing wild tigers and flying with endangered cranes. It was also aimed at cementing his image as an adventurer, and demonstrating his control of the annexed territory of Crimea. Author: Nadine Berghausen



Infrastructure

Putin said the country needed to "transform infrastructure" and increase the housing supply.

"We need to transform infrastructure, many regional cities and towns are changing…I suggest starting a large-scale program of development of cities and towns and double expenditures into this sphere in the next six years."

He said that Russia should spend more than 11 trillion rubles (€160 billion, $195 billion) on road infrastructure.

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law/kms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)