Trump hits back after Putin tests nuclear-powered missile dubbed ‘flying Chernobyl’

Donald Trump has responded.

Putin issued his latest threat to Nato as he boasted that his nation has now the "highest level" nuclear forces in the world.

The warning came as the Russian premier revealed the country's newest missile which he seriously dubbed the "flying Chernobyl" and described it as "unstoppable".

Well, that might just be an absolutely terrifying, if not slightly ridiculous, name for a weapon.

A nuclear-powered missile does not refer to its payload which would be a nuclear warhead, but rather the fact it is powered by a nuclear reactor, like a nuclear submarine.

The announcement came as the Russian president spoke during a late-night visit to a war command post as reported by the BBC and France 24.

Geared up in his military uniform, Putin spoke out about a "successful" and secret test flight that happened on Tuesday last week (21 October).

The missile known officially as the Burevestnik is said to have "unlimited range".

This test comes after Putin turned down US president Donald Trump's calls for peace talks as he undertook other military drills earlier this week.

The Russian leader spoke about these latest developments.

He said: "'The modernity of our….nuclear deterrent forces, is at the highest level.

"Well, it would probably be no exaggeration to say that it is at a higher level than all nuclear states."

He claimed that the Burevestnik missile is capable of flying for days at a time and able to counter current Western defences.

He explained: "We're talking about testing the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile with an unlimited range.

"As far as I understand, the key objectives have now been achieved."

"The missile flew for several hours, covering a distance of 14,000 kilometres [8,700 miles]," he added.

"And that's not the limit. It is nuclear-powered.

"And the technical characteristics of the Burevestnik generally allow it to be used with guaranteed accuracy against highly protected targets at any distance.

"Furthermore, during the flight, the missile performed all the prescribed vertical and horizontal manoeuvres, demonstrating its high capabilities for evading missile and air defence systems."

Putin claimed the test saw the missile fly for 15 hours non-stop while insisting this is "not the limit".

Now, Donald Trump has responded.

Talking to reporters, Trump said that Putin should focus on ending the war in Ukraine.

He said: : "They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shores, so I mean, it doesn't have to go 8,000 miles."

He added: "I don't think it's an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying, either, by the way. You [Putin] ought to get the war ended, the war that should have taken one week is now in… its fourth year, that's what you ought to do instead of testing missiles."

The weapon was tested in the Arctic to avoid being picked up on by the West.

While nuclear-powered missiles have been tested before by the US and Russia, this is the first indication of one successfully completing a flight.

However, despite the huge advantage the missile would give Russia, there remains doubts about the weapon's viability.

The International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) noted in 2021 the difficulty of making such a weapon service-ready.

"Its entry into Russia's inventory arguably hinges not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," IISS analysts wrote.

"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and an accident resulting in several deaths."

The nickname "Flying Chernobyl" comes from the fact the missile expels dangerous radiation from its exhaust due to the reactor not being fulling shielded.

Fortunately Putin has admitted the missile is not yet ready to enter into service, and let's hope for everyone's sake it stays that way for a while.