Tensions have escalated as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin exchange critical remarks amidst growing concerns of a potential large-scale conflict.
Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia has achieved the ‘highest level’ of nuclear capabilities following a successful test of a new weapon. The missile, which reportedly has an ‘unlimited range’ and runs on nuclear power, can travel much farther than existing missiles and evade detection and defense systems.
This missile, designated as the SSC-X-9, has been under development for several years. Valery V. Gerasimov, the chief general staff of the Russian armed forces, highlighted the missile’s impressive features.
He noted that during testing, the missile remained airborne for 15 hours and covered 8,700 miles. Gerasimov described it as ‘a tiny flying Chernobyl,’ referencing the infamous nuclear disaster of 1986.
In a video circulated on social media, Putin is seen discussing the weapon: “This is a unique product that no one in the world has. The modernity of our… nuclear deterrent forces, is at the highest level. Well, it would probably be no exaggeration to say that it is at a higher level than all nuclear states. We need to identify potential uses and begin preparing the infrastructure for deploying this weapon in our armed forces.”
In response, US President Donald Trump criticized Putin’s comments and urged Russia to focus on resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump stated: “I don’t think it’s 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 further commented: “They know we have a nuclear submarine, the best in the world, right off their coast. It doesn’t need to fly 8,000 miles. They’re not playing games with us. We’re not playing games with them either.”
Experts in nuclear weapons have expressed concerns about Russia’s recent developments, warning of potential negative implications. Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear nonproliferation expert at Middlebury College, told UPI: “This is a bad development. It is one more science fiction weapon that is going to be destabilizing and hard to address in arms control.”