US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis speaks to reporters aboard a military jet as he travels for a visit to Oman late on March 10, 2018. (Photo: AFP)

Mattis told reporters as he travelled to Oman that Russia’s military systems do not impact any need on the US side for a change in its deterrence posture.

Early this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin showed videos and described several new weapons Russia is developing, including Avangard, a hypersonic missile that flies 20 times faster than sound and is designed to evade missile defence systems by changing trajectory mid-flight. Putin said Russia’s proposals to work with the US were all rejected.