MOSCOW: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced Sunday a successful final test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, amid Moscow’s ongoing Ukraine offensive and uncertainty over a new summit with US leader Donald Trump.
“The decisive tests are now complete,” Putin said in a video released by the Kremlin during a meeting with military officials.
He ordered the preparation of “infrastructure to put this weapon into service in the Russian armed forces.”
Putin called the missile a “unique creation that no one else in the world possesses,” adding that the Burevestnik has “unlimited range.”
During the last test on October 21, the missile flew for some 15 hours, traveling 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles), said Russia’s military chief of staff Valery Gerasimov, adding that this was not the upper limit for the weapon.
“The technical characteristics of the Burevestnik allow it to be used with guaranteed precision against highly protected sites located at any distance,” he said.
Putin announced the Russian military’s development of the missiles in 2018, which he said could evade all defense systems, against the backdrop of a perceived threat from the United States.
Seven years later, the announcement of a successful final test comes as Russian forces slowly but steadily gain ground in Ukraine, grinding through Kyiv’s defenses in costly battles.
Peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv have stalled, despite mediation efforts from Trump, who had promised to quickly end the war upon his return to the White House in January.
Trump slapped sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies on Wednesday, complaining that his talks with Putin to end the Ukraine war “don’t go anywhere.”
On Saturday, Trump played down prospects of a new summit with Putin, saying he was “not going to be wasting my time.”
The remarks came as Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev met with Trump administration officials on Friday and Saturday, a Russian source familiar with the talks told AFP. The talks are expected to continue on Sunday.
Putin, for his part, said on Sunday that he did not want to set a timetable for an end to the fighting.
“We are not going to align anything with any dates or events... we will base our actions on military rationality,” he said.
Meanwhile, an overnight Russian drone attack on Kyiv killed three people and wounded dozens, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital said on Sunday.
In Russia’s Belgorod region, a Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and wounded one, the local governor said.
Russia successfully tested new nuclear-capable cruise missile
https://arab.news/rbutz
Russia successfully tested new nuclear-capable cruise missile
- During the last test on October 21, the Burevestnik missile flew for some 15 hours, traveling 14,000 kilometers
- Putin announced the Russian military’s development of the missiles in 2018, which he said could evade all defense systems
Ukraine’s Zelensky: We have backed US peace proposals to get a deal done
- “The tactic we chose is for the Americans not to think that we want to continue the war,” Zelensky told The Atlantic
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had sought to back US peace proposals to end the war with Russia as President Donald Trump seeks to resolve the conflict before November mid-term elections.
Zelensky, in an interview published by The Atlantic on Thursday, said Kyiv was willing to hold both a presidential election and a referendum on a deal, but would not settle for an accord that was detrimental to Ukraine’s interests.
“The tactic we chose is for the Americans not to think that we want to continue the war,” Zelensky told the US-based publication. “That’s why we started supporting their proposals in any format that speeds things along.”
He said Ukraine was “not afraid of anything. Are we ready for elections? We’re ready. Are we ready for a referendum? We’re ready.”
Zelensky has sought to build good relations with Washington since an Oval Office meeting in February 2025 descended into a shouting match with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance.
But he said he had rejected a proposal, reported this week by the Financial Times, to announce the votes on February 24, the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion. A ceasefire and proposed US security guarantees against a future invasion had not yet been settled, he said.
“No one is clinging to power,” The Atlantic quoted him as saying. “I am ready for elections. But for that we need security, guarantees of security, a ceasefire.”
And he added: “I don’t think we should put a bad deal up for a referendum.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Zelensky is not a legitimate negotiating partner because he has not faced election since coming to power in 2019.
Zelensky has said in recent weeks that a document on security guarantees for Ukraine is all but ready to be signed.
But, in his remarks, he acknowledged that details remained unresolved, including whether the US would be willing to shoot down incoming missiles over Ukraine if Russia were to violate the peace.
“This hasn’t been fixed yet,” Zelensky said. “We have raised it, and we will continue to raise these questions...We need all of this to be written out.”
