Tuesday, October 28, 2025 -President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for testing a nuclear-powered cruise missile, stating that Putin should instead focus on ending the protracted war in Ukraine.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump also made a pointed
reference to U.S. military capability, noting that the U.S. has a nuclear
submarine positioned off Russia's coast.
The comments followed a recent announcement by Putin on
Sunday that Russia had successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik
cruise missile—a nuclear-capable weapon that Moscow claims can pierce any
defense shield.
When asked about the test of the Burevestnik (dubbed the
SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO), which Russia claimed flew for a distance of 14,000 km
(8,700 miles), President Trump indicated that the U.S. did not require such a
long-range weapon
“They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the
world, right off their shores, so I mean, it doesn't have to go 8,000 miles,”
Trump told reporters.
Trump then pivoted to the conflict in Ukraine,
delivering a direct challenge to the Russian leader.
“I don't think its an appropriate thing for Putin to be
saying, either, by the way: You ought to get the war ended, the war that should
have taken one week is now in... its fourth year, that's what you ought to do
instead of testing missiles,” Trump stated.
Trump has consistently voiced his desire to end the war in
Ukraine, which is now Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two.
Putin first announced the Burevestnik in 2018, positioning
the weapon as a response to U.S. actions, including the withdrawal from the
1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the enlargement of the NATO military
alliance.
Regarding the ongoing tensions, Trump concluded,
"They're not playing games with us and we're not playing games with them
either. We test missiles all the time."
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