WW3: REVEALED Russia’s SECRET laser weapon designed to terrify the west – FIRST LOOK

Details around the Peresvet laser’s capabilities remain under wraps, but military experts believe it could be capable of disrupting “drones, missiles and aircraft”. The devastating new weapon is named after a 14th century Orthodox monk who fought in single combat against a Tatar champion at the Battle of Kulikovo. In March, Vladimir Putin described the new release of weapons as the country’s response to the decision from the US in 2002 to pull out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and develop its global defence capabilities.

Details of the latest destructive weapon will only heighten tensions with the US, with Donald Trump giving the Russian President a 60-day ultimatum to come clean about Russia’s violation of a key nuclear control treaty which has stopped weapons of mass destruction out for Europe for 30 years.

Mr Trump wants to pull the US out of the 1987 Immediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which he claims has been regularly broken by Moscow and also rendered irrelevant by China’s nuclear weapons programme.

But NATO allies have so far managed to persuade US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from making any immediate drastic decisions.

READ MORE: Can Russia ACTUALLY invade Europe? Tanks, artilery and armed forced REVEALED

In return, NATO foreign ministers agreed to formally declare Russia in “material breach” of the INF treaty in a statement in support of the US.

Mr Pompeo warned Russia’s actions “greatly undermine America’s national security and that of our allies”.

He claims the US has raised the troubling issue with Russia at least 30 times over the past five years but has been met with continued denials and counter-accusations.

The US Secretary of State told a meeting in Brussels: “In the light of these facts, the United States declares Russia in material breach of the treaty and will suspend our obligations – effective in 60 days – unless Russia returns to full and verifiable compliance.”

But this threat has infuriated Russia, describing it as a “rude ultimatum”.

Russia foreign affairs committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev said: “The appeal by US Secretary of State Pompeo for Russia to come to compliance with the INF Treaty is not an invitation to discuss the means of preserving it.

“This is a rude ultimatum, which the US has given just for one goal: to show the world and its allies that it’s not they who ruin this vital international security pillar, but it’s Russia, which has allegedly refused to honor it, despite being given a chance.”

Mr Putin also said he would be forced to retaliate if the US presses ahead with its threat of exiting the INF treaty.

In televised comments, the Russian President said Moscow doesn’t want to scrap the treaty, but that the US had decided to exit the treaty and was blaming Russia for violations in order for them to serve as a pretext.

Mr Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov also heightened fears, and said: “If the Americans ultimately withdraw from that treaty, there is a high risk, although now they deny it, that they will deploy these missiles in Europe.

“It means NATO’s expansion towards our borders. If missiles are deployed in Europe, Russia will be forces to take steps to ensure parity.

“That means European territories will be in the crosshairs of our missiles. So, here we are back in the glorious 1970s.

“It is illogical. It is dangerous as instead of discussing development goals we will find ourselves back in a situation of armed confrontation.

“It is very bad and that is why we are trying to initiate negotiations with the Americans, sending these or those signal to see no reciprocity, due to various reasons.”

The INF treaty eliminated the medium-range missile arsenals of the world’s two biggest nuclear powers and reduced their ability to launch a nuclear strike at short notice.

US Cruise and Pershing missiles deployed in Britain and Germany were removed as a result of the treaty while the Soviet Union pulled back its SS-20s out of European range.

Russia flatly denies undertaking any new development of land-based, intermediate-range Cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads and hitting European cities at short notice.