President Donald Trump on Monday took aim at Russia’s announcement that it has tested a nuclear-powered missile that can go more than 8,000 miles, telling President Vladimir Putin that he “ought to get the war ended” instead.
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When asked on Air Force One whether he saw the missile test as “saber-rattling,” Trump—who is currently visiting Japan—told reporters that the U.S. is in possession of the “greatest” nuclear submarine in the world, before going on to rebuke Putin.
“They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shore. So it doesn’t have to go 8,000 miles. They’re not playing games with us, we’re not playing games with them either,” Trump said. “We test missiles all the time… we don’t need to go 8,000 miles. And I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying, by the way.”
“You ought to get the war ended,” Trump said, seemingly addressing the Russian President directly. “The war that should have taken one week is now in its soon fourth year. That’s what you ought to do, instead of testing missiles.”
Trump was then asked his opinion on whether the E.U. should allow the use of Russian central bank’s frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s defense efforts.
Brushing off the question, Trump replied: “You’d have to ask the E.U. I’m not involved in that.”
European leaders met on Friday and agreed, for now, to hold off on using the frozen Russian assets. The issue is set to be discussed once more at the next meeting of the European Council in December.
Trump’s remarks come after Putin provided details of the missile testing, which was conducted on Oct. 21, during a visit to Russia’s Joint Force command post with Army Chief Valery Gerasimov on Sunday.
“This is indeed a unique weapon that no other country possesses,” said Putin in regard to the Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile, which he claims has an “unlimited” range.
Chief Gerasimov said that the tests saw the missile in the air for 15 hours, travelling up to 14,000km (8700 miles), both of which he said were not the limits of Burevestnik’s capabilities.
“During the flight, the missile completed all prescribed vertical and horizontal manoeuvres, showcasing a high capability to evade missile-defence and air-defence systems,” said Gerasimov.
Yars and Sineva intercontinental ballistic missiles, and two Kh-102 air-launched cruise missiles, were also tested as part of Russia’s strategic nuclear force training, Gerasimov stated.
The Kremlin has since reportedly said that the missile tests should not affect relations between the U.S and Russia.
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“There is nothing here that could or should further strain relations between Moscow and Washington, especially since they are already at a minimum,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday, according to Russian state news TASS.
The relationship between Washington, D.C., and Moscow appears to be increasingly strained, as the U.S. announced significant sanctions against Russia last week, targeting the country’s main two oil firms and their subsidiaries.
“I just felt it was time. We waited a long time. I thought that we’d go long before the Middle East,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Oct. 23.
“The actions increase pressure on Russia’s energy sector and degrade the Kremlin’s ability to raise revenue for its war machine and support its weakened economy,” added Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova referred to the sanctions as “counterproductive” and insisted Russia has “developed strong immunity to Western restrictions.”
On Monday morning, when asked if the U.S. might place further restrictions on Russia, Trump said: “You’ll find out.”
The European Union followed the U.S. sanctions last week with its own elevated package, the 19th of its kind, to impose measures against the energy, military, and financial sectors of Russia, as well as specific targets against those believed to be involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Trump was set to meet with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, after an hours-long phone call with the Russian President on Oct. 16, but the sit-down has since been postponed, with no future date confirmed.
“It didn’t feel right to me, I didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get,” said Trump in the Oval Office on Oct. 23.
In August, Trump and Putin shared their first in-person meeting since 2019, joining forces for a high-stakes summit in Alaska. But they failed to reach a deal during the sit-down, which ended earlier than expected.