A large-scale nuclear weapons exercise, overseen personally by Vladimir Putin, was conducted in Russia, the Kremlin announced on Wednesday — just one day after Washington postponed a planned second summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, which was expected to take place in Budapest.
The Kremlin released a video showing General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff, briefing Putin on the drills conducted by the Russian Strategic Deterrence Forces. The exercises included test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), capable of reaching the United States.
The Russian Ministry of Defence also published footage showing the launch of a Yars ICBM, as well as the crew of the Bryansk nuclear submarine, which fired a Sineva ballistic missile from the Barents Sea. Additionally, video clips featured the Tu-95MS strategic bomber, part of Russia’s nuclear deterrence force, launching air-launched cruise missiles.
During critical moments of the war in Ukraine, Putin has repeatedly invoked Russia’s nuclear power as a warning to Kyiv and its Western allies. NATO, meanwhile, held its own nuclear deterrence exercises earlier this month.
The Strategic Deterrence Forces form a crucial branch of the Russian Armed Forces, designed to deter attacks on Russia and its allies, as well as to defeat adversaries using various types of weapons, including nuclear arms. The core of Russia’s Nuclear Strategic Forces consists of missile systems and long-range aircraft, commonly referred to as the nuclear triad.
Meanwhile, despite reports from Washington suggesting that Trump no longer plans to meet with Putin, the Kremlin stated on Monday that no date has been set for the summit, adding that both leaders prefer to avoid wasting time.
“The dates, in fact, have not been set yet; they remain to be determined. But before that, careful preparation is required — and that takes time,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
When asked about Trump’s comment that he didn’t want to “waste time,” Peskov responded:
“No one wants to waste time — neither President Trump nor President Putin.”
Peskov further noted that there is a lot of misinformation, speculation, and rumors surrounding the summit, most of which are entirely false.
