US President Donald Trump has dismissed Vladimir Putin's latest boast about a nuclear-powered cruise missile test as "not appropriate", coming at a time when tensions between Moscow and Washington are escalating.
The Russian president had announced that his country had successfully tested its Burevestnik cruise missile, which he described as a breakthrough in national security. However, the US leader was quick to shoot down this claim, saying that Putin should focus on ending the war with Ukraine rather than testing missiles.
Trump pointed out that the US has a nuclear submarine "right off their shores" that doesn't need to travel such long distances to test its own missiles. He also stated that Russia's nuclear-powered cruise missile is not invincible and can be intercepted by NATO aircraft.
The timing of Putin's announcement is notable, as it comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries. Last week, Putin oversaw drills of Russia's strategic nuclear forces, which included practice missile launches, and warned of a "very serious, if not crushing, response" should Ukraine carry out further strikes deep inside Russian territory with western-supplied missiles.
The US and Russia have been at odds over the conflict in Ukraine for months, with Washington imposing surprise sanctions on two of Russia's largest oil producers last Wednesday. The Kremlin has rejected Trump's call for Russia and Ukraine to freeze the frontlines and agree to a ceasefire.
Experts say that Russia's nuclear-powered cruise missile is just another step in an arms race that offers no victory for either side. As one expert noted, "Burevestnik represents another step in an arms race that offers no victory for either side."
The Russian president had announced that his country had successfully tested its Burevestnik cruise missile, which he described as a breakthrough in national security. However, the US leader was quick to shoot down this claim, saying that Putin should focus on ending the war with Ukraine rather than testing missiles.
Trump pointed out that the US has a nuclear submarine "right off their shores" that doesn't need to travel such long distances to test its own missiles. He also stated that Russia's nuclear-powered cruise missile is not invincible and can be intercepted by NATO aircraft.
The timing of Putin's announcement is notable, as it comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries. Last week, Putin oversaw drills of Russia's strategic nuclear forces, which included practice missile launches, and warned of a "very serious, if not crushing, response" should Ukraine carry out further strikes deep inside Russian territory with western-supplied missiles.
The US and Russia have been at odds over the conflict in Ukraine for months, with Washington imposing surprise sanctions on two of Russia's largest oil producers last Wednesday. The Kremlin has rejected Trump's call for Russia and Ukraine to freeze the frontlines and agree to a ceasefire.
Experts say that Russia's nuclear-powered cruise missile is just another step in an arms race that offers no victory for either side. As one expert noted, "Burevestnik represents another step in an arms race that offers no victory for either side."
" Putin's just trying to flex his muscles and show off Russia's military might. But honestly, it's all just a show, right? Both the US and Russia are playing with fire here, and someone's gonna get burned eventually. And let's be real, who needs more missiles in the world? It's not like we're any closer to resolving this Ukraine situation. Can't they just talk it out already? 
The fact that Trump is shooting down Putin's claims and saying Russia can be intercepted by NATO aircraft just shows how deep-seated this nuclear game really is. We need to focus on finding a real solution to the conflict, not just posturing about our military capabilities. 
like what's the big deal? we got nukes on both sides and we're still good 
meanwhile, trump is trying to shut it down and focus on ukraine 
like dude prioritize or something? 
[Image of a mushroom cloud with a speech bubble saying "Not INvincible?"]
Putin's got some nerve testing nukes like it's 1999 
Trump is low-key right, by the way 
all this nuclear drama is just so... toxic 
i mean, have you seen the state of our oceans lately? 
it's not exactly rocket science (pun intended) to figure out that war & testing missiles isn't gonna solve anything. Russia and Ukraine can work out their differences without puttin' the whole world at risk 
we gotta be thinkin' about mental health, self-care, and sustainability too – not just militarism 
. It's like, dude, chill out and focus on fixin the mess you made with Ukraine, ya know? Trump's right, by the way - it's not exactly strategic to test missiles when there's already a nuclear submarine just chillin' off your coast 
. And let's be real, if it can't even get through the NATO air force 
. Can we please just have some peace in Europe for once? 
... like, whats the point of making a big deal out of it? wont that just make things worse between Russia and Ukraine? I mean, cant they focus on talking instead of testing new stuff? 
i mean, who tests a nuclear-powered cruise missile like it's a normal thing?! 
i don't get why we have to make everything so complicated. and what's up with nato saying it can intercept this thing? isn't that like, a big deal or something? 
Like, what if Putin and Trump just sat down and talked it out instead of all the posturing and saber-rattling? 
. I think it's great that he's calling out Russia's claims, but we need to be careful not to escalate things further 
. And what about the US submarine he mentioned - is that a new development? 
. Can't we just focus on finding peaceful solutions to Ukraine's conflict instead of one-upping each other with advanced military tech? 
... It's like both sides are just piling on the tension and aggression, and we're all caught in the middle. I mean, come on, Russia tests a new missile and then Putin gets all boastful? And what does Trump expect him to do, exactly? Just calm down and start dancing? 
... Newsflash: it's not a game, folks!
It's all so exhausting to watch from here... 
... Putin's announcement seems like a desperate attempt to prove Russia's military might, but at what cost? The fact that Trump basically dismissed him and said Russia should focus on ending the war with Ukraine makes me wonder if we're just going through the motions here 
. It's all so... familiar. Like we've been here before, but with different players and different words. Is this really progress or just a never-ending cycle of escalation? 
. Can't we all just try to talk things out for once? 
And what's with all these "strategic nuclear forces" drills? Is that like, a big game of "dodge the bomb"? 
I'm not surprised to see Putin making a big deal about his nuclear-powered cruise missile test... it's just more of the same aggressive posturing from Russia 
. And honestly, I don't buy the idea that Russia's new missile can be intercepted by NATO planes - Putin's got some serious PR spin going on here 
. At the end of the day, this arms race just means more risk and uncertainty for everyone involved... not exactly the kind of progress we need