Russian President Vladimir Putin has hinted at his plans for a new intermediate-range ballistic missile fired last month at Ukraine. He says the weapon, called Oreshnik, could be deployed in Belarus in the second half of next year.

Putin was responding to a request from Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko after signing a mutual defense treaty on Friday in Minsk.

Putin said if Oreshnik missiles are used as a group, the strike force would be comparable to a nuclear weapon. The remark is seen as a warning to Ukraine, the United States and Europe.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that Putin will hold his annual year-end news conference on December 19.

Putin is expected to answer questions from the public during the event. Attention is focused on what he might say about US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office in January, and the invasion of Ukraine.

The conflict enters its fourth year in February.