By Benjamin Foster | Staff Writer with Agencies
Air Force One — US President Donald Trump has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to focus on ending the ongoing war in Ukraine, rather than continuing with provocative actions like testing new missiles. This remark follows Putin’s recent announcement on October 26 that Russia successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a weapon Moscow claims is capable of penetrating any defense system.
The missile, which Russia has dubbed the 9M730 Burevestnik, or “Storm Petrel,” and NATO refers to as the SSC-X-9 Skyfall, reportedly flew for a distance of 14,000 kilometers. Despite the significant range, Trump pointed out that the United States does not need to test missiles over such vast distances, as it has a powerful nuclear submarine positioned right off Russia’s coast.
“We don’t have to go 8,000 miles; they know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shores,” Trump stated while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, according to an audio file shared by the White House.
Trump also criticized Putin for continuing the war, which he described as a conflict that should have lasted only a week but is now entering its fourth year. “I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying, either. You ought to get the war ended, the war that should have taken one week is now in its fourth year,” Trump emphasized, referring to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The remarks come as the US President reiterates his long-standing desire to see an end to the war in Ukraine, which has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. Trump has previously acknowledged the complexity of brokering peace in such a volatile situation, admitting that bringing about a ceasefire in Ukraine is more challenging than resolving other global conflicts, such as the Gaza crisis or tensions between India and Pakistan.
Since the announcement of the 9M730 Burevestnik missile in 2018, Russia has positioned the weapon as a countermeasure to the United States’ missile defense strategies. The weapon is viewed as a direct response to the US’s withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001 and the subsequent expansion of NATO. Putin’s government has repeatedly claimed that the Burevestnik is part of Russia’s efforts to defend itself from perceived Western aggression.
“They’re not playing games with us, and we’re not playing games with them either,” Trump remarked, referencing the missile tests by both Russia and the US. “We test missiles all the time.”
In addition to his comments on the missile tests, Trump addressed the potential for further sanctions against Russia if the war in Ukraine continues. According to Reuters, the Trump administration has already prepared new sanctions that could target critical sectors of Russia’s economy. When asked about the possibility of additional sanctions, Trump remained cryptic, saying, “You’ll find out.”
As the war in Ukraine continues to drag on, with both military and diplomatic tensions escalating, the Trump administration’s stance on further sanctions and potential military responses continues to evolve. Whether Trump’s call for an end to the conflict will have any impact on Russia’s strategy remains to be seen.
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