Trump claims Russia stole US hypersonic missile designs during Obama presidency

US President Donald Trump said during an interview with Fox News that Russia allegedly stole the design of a hypersonic missile from the US during Barack Obama’s presidency.

Russia has used its 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missiles in its war against Ukraine, with the first confirmed deployment in 2023. These missiles, capable of speeds up to Mach 9 and ranges of 600–1,500 kilometers, are touted as highly maneuverable and difficult to intercept. They have been used in attacks on Kyiv, causing casualties and infrastructure damage. Despite their advanced technology, Ukraine’s air defense systems, such as Patriot and SAMP/T, have successfully intercepted such missiles, but damage was caused by their fragments.

When asked by a journalist why the US does not have hypersonic weapons while Russia and China do, Trump said that Russia stole the design for such missiles from the US after someone leaked classified information to the Russians.

“Russia stole the design, they got it from us. Some bad person gave them the design. I authorized the building of hypersonic, and we are doing super-hypersonic actually, which is even a step better, and we will have them starting fairly shortly,” said Trump, adding that this happened during Obama’s presidency.

It is not the first time Trump has made such assertions. Both as a candidate and a former president, he has repeatedly claimed that Russia appropriated US hypersonic technology. In 2023, he told supporters that Russia had stolen designs for what he referred to as “super-duper missiles,” according to Defense Blog.

The Kremlin has consistently denied these allegations. Responding to previous claims, Russian officials stated, “We have our own missile, a great missile,” dismissing the accusations of technological theft.

On 21 January, Trump announced at the White House that he could impose further sanctions on Russia if the country’s leader, Vladimir Putin, declines to engage in peace talks. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump called on Putin to “make a deal,” warning that Russia’s economy is “collapsing” and will “only get worse.”

However, Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, responding to Trump’s claims, stated that Russia saw “nothing new” in his remarks about imposing sanctions. He stated that during his first term, Trump frequently used sanctions because “he enjoys such methods.”

He added that Russia is allegedly open to “equal dialogue” with the US, claiming that Moscow is waiting for signals from Washington, which, according to him, have yet to appear.

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