Trump issues stern warning to Putin after Russia tests 'invincible' missile
President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Vladimir Putin after Russia tested out an ‘invincible’ missile.
Trump has since spoken out to the press by making an apparent threat to Putin if he ever tries to use the missile.
This comes after Putin boast about the new nuclear device, describing it as ‘invincible’.
Talking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he prepared to travel to Japan as part of his diplomatic tour of Asia, the US president said: “They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shore.”
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On Sunday (October 26), the Russian leader praised the test flight, which consisted of 8,700 miles in 15 hours.
Known as a ‘flying Chernobyl’, the missile is purported to be able to reach as far as the US.
According to reports by Russian state media, Putin described the missile as a ‘unique product’, going on to claim that it is ‘unlike anything else in the world’.
He said: “We need to identify potential uses and begin preparing the infrastructure for deploying this weapon in our armed forces.”
But it seems like Trump was too impressed by these comments, responding with: “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.
“They’re not playing games with us. We’re not playing games with them either.”
The president went on to say: “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.”
This comes after Trump met with Ukrainian president Zelenkyy in hopes of talks leading to a potential ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
Speaking to Axios, Zelenskyy said: “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.”
Talks between Trump and Zelenskyy, which were held at the White House earlier this month, appear to have been tense.
According to a report by the Financial Times, it detailed how Trump warned the Ukrainian leader that Putin ‘will destroy you’.
It has also been reported that Trump called on Ukraine to accept demands made by Putin, which includes surrendering the entire Donbas region. This is something that Zelenskyy has previously rejected.