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President Trump delivered a stark warning to Vladimir Putin following Russia's test of its nuclear-powered cruise missile.
"They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shore,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Japan on Monday.
Reporter: “Russia said this week that they’ve tested a new missile that can go more than 8,000 miles. Is that been saber rattling for you?”
— Gabriela Iglesias🇺🇲 (@iglesias_gabby) October 27, 2025
President Trump: “They know we have a nuclear submarine the greatest in the world right off their shore. So I mean it doesn’t have to go… pic.twitter.com/mP3HwpxICB
Putin, clad in military fatigues, announced the Burevestnik missile's successful 8,700-mile, 15-hour flight on Sunday via Kremlin video.
"We need to identify potential uses and begin preparing the infrastructure for deploying this weapon in our armed forces," Putin declared.
He called the missile a "unique product, unlike anything else in the world."
Trump dismissed the display.
“We test missiles all the time, but you know, we do have a submarine, a nuclear submarine. We don’t need to go 8,000 miles," he said.
"They’re not playing games with us. We’re not playing games with them either," Trump added, then demanded Moscow halt its Ukraine invasion. "I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying. By the way, he ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its, soon, fourth year. That’s what he ought to do instead of testing missiles."
The exchange followed the collapse of planned U.S.-Russia talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky intensified pleas for American long-range missiles to compel peace.
"President Trump is concerned about escalation. But I think that if there are no negotiations, there will be an escalation anyway. I think that if Putin doesn’t stop, we need something to stop him. Sanctions is one such weapon, but we also need long-range missiles," Zelensky told Axios.
Russia's military chief Valery Gerasimov dubbed the weapon "a tiny flying Chernobyl."
NATO designates it SSC-X-9 Skyfall. Moscow claims nuclear propulsion grants unlimited range and evades defenses.
Experts question the boasts.
The Nuclear Threat Initiative reports only two partial successes in 13 tests, including a 2019 explosion that killed seven.
Tensions escalate as Putin eyes deployment amid ongoing nuclear drills.
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