Russia will have to increase its missile arsenal to deter the West, diplomat says

Russia's Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system unit drives along Red Square during a rehearsal for a military parade, which marks the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in central Moscow, Russia, May 5, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/ File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will have to increase its entire missile arsenal to deter the West as Moscow is now in an open confrontation with the United States and its allies, a Russian diplomat was quoted as saying on Monday.

President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine touched off the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, according to Russian and U.S. diplomats.