Over the course of several days, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump exchanged high-profile statements about nuclear technology and weaponry. Russia announced tests of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, while the United States conducted a test launch of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. Both sides accompanied their announcements with displays of power and technological prowess, underscoring a renewed race in nuclear ambitions—where tests and rhetoric have become part of the political signaling.
Moscow and Washington Escalate Nuclear Rhetoric
October 26
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had tested the Burevestnik nuclear-powered, unlimited-range cruise missile
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Putin that the test had taken place on October 21. “The missile’s technical characteristics allow it to strike highly protected targets at any distance with guaranteed accuracy,” Gerasimov said.
Putin ordered “preparations to build infrastructure for deploying this weapon in the armed forces.”
October 27
U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States has “the most powerful nuclear submarine in the world” stationed off Russia’s coast
“They don’t play games with us, and we don’t play with them. We test missiles all the time,” Trump said.
October 29
Putin said the Burevestnik’s nuclear reactor is comparable in power to that of a submarine reactor but, unlike it, “starts up within minutes and seconds”
Putin also stated that Russian forces had recently tested the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone. “In terms of speed and operating depth, nothing like this exists in the world—and won’t for the foreseeable future. There are no means of interception,” he said.
Trump said he had ordered the military to “immediately” begin nuclear weapons testing, arguing that “other countries are conducting test programs.”
“The United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country,” he emphasized.
October 30
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Burevestnik and Poseidon tests mentioned by Putin “were in no way nuclear”
“We hope the information was conveyed accurately to President Trump,” Peskov said.
November 5
The United States conducted a test launch of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile
U.S. military command emphasized that the launch “is part of a series of planned, routine activities.” Officially, it is unrelated to Trump’s statement about nuclear testing.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov proposed that Putin immediately begin preparations for a full-scale nuclear test on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago
Such tests have not been conducted since 1990.
Belousov said the United States is systematically withdrawing from arms control agreements and “rapidly modernizing” its strategic offensive weapons.
Putin did not give a direct approval to Belousov’s proposal. He instructed officials to “gather additional information” on U.S. nuclear testing plans.