U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Vladimir Putin’s statement about testing the Burevestnik missile, calling it inappropriate.
“They know we have a nuclear submarine — the best in the world — right off their shores. So we don’t need a missile that flies eight thousand miles. They’re not playing games with us, and we’re not playing games with them. <…> And by the way, I don’t think it’s appropriate for Putin to make such statements. He should end the war — the war that was supposed to last a week but has been going on for four years now. That’s what he should focus on, not testing missiles,” the U.S. president told reporters aboard his plane.
Trump also noted that the issue of using frozen Russian assets is within the competence of the European Union and the United States, and that Washington “does not interfere” in this decision.
When asked about the possibility of imposing new sanctions against Russia, the president gave an evasive answer.
Commenting on Trump’s remarks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that testing the Burevestnik missile should not strain relations between Russia and the United States.
“There is nothing here that could or should strain relations between Moscow and Washington — especially since those relations are already at a minimal level,” Peskov said. “Russia is consistently working to ensure its own security, and the development of new weapons systems is part of that effort,” he added.
The U.S. president is currently on an Asian tour. On Sunday, he visited Kuala Lumpur, where, on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, a peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand was signed in his presence.
Trump will then travel to Japan and South Korea, where on Thursday, October 30, he is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Trump, he plans to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine and how Beijing could influence Moscow, as well as limiting China’s purchases of Russian oil.
