Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday downplayed Russia's claims of using hypersonic missiles in Ukraine and said they did not present as "a game changer" after Moscow said it used the weapon to strike a munitions warehouse in western Ukraine.
"I would not see it as a game changer," Austin said on CBS News' "Face the Nation."
"I think, again, the reason that he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] is resorting to using these types of weapons is because he's trying to reestablish some momentum. We've seen him attack towns and cities and civilians outright, and we expect to see that continue. But I don’t think that this in and of itself will be a game changer."
Austin, who had just returned from talks at NATO's Brussels headquarters and a visit to Bulgaria, questioned why Putin would, if true, use hypersonic missiles.
"Is he running low on precision guided munitions? Does he lack complete confidence in the ability of his troops to reestablish momentum?" Austin asked. "But I don’t see this in and of itself as a game changer."
The secretary said Putin’s tactics were"disgusting."
"We’ve seen deliberate targeting of cities and towns and civilians throughout the last several weeks," Austin said. "I believe he's taking these kinds of steps because … his campaign has stalled. He's not been able to achieve the goals that he wants to achieve as rapidly as he wants to achieve them.
"He’s resorting to tactics that we see on display every day. And again, this is really disgusting."
Russia has said its hypersonic missile is able to travel at 10 times the speed of sound with a range of roughly 1,250 miles.
Russia expert Rebekah Koffler told Fox News Digital that the missile, which is carried by a MiG-31K warplane, is capable of carrying nuclear arsenals. She added that even the suggestion of launching such a weapon was significant.
"It's a game-changer in the geopolitical realm, not unlike in the military realm, because they're trying to [send a] strategic message," Koffler told Fox News. "In my assessment, he [Putin] is climbing small steps in the escalation ladder on the trajectory to nuclear warfare."
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