State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert also condemned the Kremlin leader's use during a speech to unveil the claimed new technology of an animation depicting missiles striking the United States.

"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.

"President Putin has confirmed what the United States government has known for a long time but that Russia has denied prior to this," she said.

"Russia has been developing destabilizing weapons systems for more than a decade in direct violation of its treaty obligations."

Specifically, Nauert said that Moscow had proved itself in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), through its development of ground-launched cruise missiles.

The United States has long accused Russia of breaching the INF treaty and, while it is modernizing its own nuclear arsenal, says that it remains in compliance with the terms of the Cold War accord.