Putin tests new nuclear missile amid tensions
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Sunday that Moscow had finished testing the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, which can travel up to 8,700 miles. The statement followed the breakdown of peace negotiations and new American sanctions on Russian energy companies after a planned summit in Budapest collapsed last week.
President Donald Trump canceled the meeting after telephone discussions revealed that Putin demanded Ukraine surrender the entire Donetsk region as a peace condition. Washington then imposed restrictions on Wednesday against Rosneft and Lukoil, freezing assets and barring American firms from transactions with the oil producers. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the penalties among the largest ever applied to Russia.
Ukraine intensified attacks on Russian industrial targets after Trump quietly removed limits on certain European missiles. Ukrainian forces struck a Bryansk explosives facility this week with a British Storm Shadow cruise missile. Moscow retaliated by targeting Ukrainian power infrastructure and violating Estonian airspace for 12 minutes on Sept. 20 as fighter jets crossed the NATO border.
The weapons test signals Russian determination to counter Western military support for Kyiv. NATO began its Steadfast Noon nuclear exercise this month, involving 70 aircraft from 14 countries. Both sides prepare for prolonged conflict as diplomatic channels remain frozen and economic warfare escalates.
