The White House and the Pentagon dismissed the talk as rhetoric Thursday, saying Russia’s attempts to modernize its nuclear force came as no surprise and would do little to rattle the U.S.

“President Putin has confirmed what the United States government has known all along,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “Russia has been developing destabilizing weapons systems for over a decade in direct violation of its treaty obligations.”

“America is moving forward to modernize our nuclear arsenal and make sure our capabilities aren’t being matched,” she added, pointing to the new $700 billion U.S. military budget.