Russia tests new cruise missile, Dmitriev holds talks in US
Published in News & Features
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile that his military said was capable of traveling for at least 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles).
Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov said the Burevestnik was tested on Oct. 21, according to footage of a meeting with military commanders posted on the Kremlin’s Telegram channel. The weapon, which flew for about 15 hours, is capable of evading missile-defense networks, he said.
Putin discussed the Burevestnik with Gerasimov after plans for a Budapest peace summit within U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed a week after being floated by the U.S. leader. The U.S. instead imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, while also renewing discussions in Washington about potentially supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Putin previously called the possible deployment of Tomahawks in Ukraine an escalation.
Dressed in military uniform, Putin called the new weapon “unique,” and said the missile’s class needed to be determined and infrastructure prepared so that it can be deployed. A large amount of work needed to be conducted before that could be done, Putin added.
Discussing the status of Russia’s ground war in Ukraine, Gerasimov told Putin that Kremlin forces had encircled the city of Kupyansk in the northeast Kharkiv region. The Ukrainian General Staff said the military was repelling attacks in the Kupyansk area, and that two settlements north of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region had been retaken over the past several days. The various claims couldn’t be independently verified.
In Kyiv itself, at least three people were killed in a Russian attack overnight, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The strike followed ballistic missile and drone barrages the previous night that claimed two lives in the capital and two more in Dnipropetrovsk.
“Every Russian strike is an attempt to inflict as much damage as possible on ordinary life,” Zelenskyy said on social media platform X. “This week, they’ve been striking residential buildings, our people, children, and civilian infrastructure. These are the main targets for the Russians.”
At least 33 others were wounded in the attack, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Sunday on Telegram. Russia launched 101 drones at Ukraine, with 90 downed, according to the country’s air defense forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had intercepted 26 Ukrainian drones in a five-hour period on Sunday.
The persistent strikes came as Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, spent the weekend in the U.S. for talks with officials.
Dmitriev posted images on his Telegram channel of souvenir chocolates decorated with Putin’s image, saying they were prepared “within the framework of the Russia–U.S. dialogue.” It wasn’t clear whether the gifts were given to U.S. officials.
Later on Sunday, Dmitriev, who was reportedly to meet with White House envoy Steve Witkoff during his trip, said in a video on Telegram that he’d informed U.S. officials about Putin’s meeting with Gerasimov.
“It’s very important that this information is directly relayed to the leadership and key figures in the U.S. presidential administration,” he said.
The presidential envoy said he’d met with Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, and he hoped a meeting between Russian and U.S. legislators could soon be arranged. Standing alongside Dmitriev in a video posted on Telegram by Russian state media, the Republican lawmaker said that she would lead a delegation to Moscow if invited.
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