Putin just said Russia has developed a new generation of unstoppable nuclear weapons - and showed video of them heading for the US

AP

Vladimir Putin gives an address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow on March 1, 2018.

Russia has tested a new generation of nuclear weapons capable of hitting the US, Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

The Russian president accompanied his announcement with a computer-generated video which showed the missiles arcing towards America on a map of the world.

Alec Luhn, The Telegraph's Russia correspondent, tweeted images of the video, which was displayed behind Putin while he made his address, effectively Russia's "State of the Union", to the Federal Assembly in Moscow.

Putin said the new range of nuclear weapons would "neutralise" US missile defence, Luhn reported.

"Russia remained a nuclear power, but no one wanted to listen to us. Listen to us now," Putin reportedly said.

The Associated Press gave more detail on the weapons he described. It said they include "a nuclear-powered cruise missile and a nuclear-powered underwater drone, that would be immune to enemy intercept."

Putin said the cruise missile was tested last fall and is immune to any missile defense.

He said the high-speed underwater can carry a nuclear warhead, and can hitt both aircraft carriers and coastal facilities.

He said that Russia also tested a new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, called Sarmat, with a range and number of warheads exceeding its predecessor.