“He ought to get the war (in Ukraine) ended. A war that should have taken one week is now soon in its fourth year. That’s what he ought to do instead of testing missiles,” Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One on Monday.
Russia’s new unlimited-range nuclear-powered missile, the Burevestnik, can evade missile defenses, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has said. He made the remarks on Sunday during Putin’s visit to a Russian Army command post.
Putin held a meeting with Gerasimov and other senior military commanders, during which he was briefed on the situation along the line of contact with the Ukrainian Army and on the Russian Army’s offensive training exercises, including the country’s strategic nuclear forces. According to Gerasimov, the Burevestnik test took place on October 21.
The missile completed a multi-hour flight that covered 14,000km, though he stressed that this is not the range limit for the Burevestnik.
“The technical characteristics of the Burevestnik missile make it capable of striking highly protected targets at any distance with guaranteed accuracy,” Gerasimov stated.
“During the test flight, the missile successfully performed all designated vertical and horizontal maneuvers, demonstrating its strong ability to evade anti-missile and air defense systems.”
The Burevestnik is a nuclear-powered, unlimited-range strategic cruise missile designed to destroy high-value targets, including fortified bunkers. It is undetectable by conventional radar and can only be tracked by specialized spacecraft during the launch and acceleration phases.
Putin first revealed the missile’s development in 2018, describing it as a one-of-a-kind weapon that does not follow a ballistic trajectory, rendering existing missile defense systems ineffective. He noted that its unlimited range allows it to maneuver indefinitely. Speaking to Gerasimov, the president reiterated that the Burevestnik is a “unique product that no one else in the world has,” while stressing that “much work” remains before it can be placed on combat alert.
“We will need to more thoroughly define what class of weapon this new system belongs to, determine possible methods of use, and begin preparing the infrastructure for its deployment within our armed forces,” Putin noted. He added that all key testing objectives for the missile have now been achieved.
