Wed Oct 22 13:31:54 UTC 2025: The Hindu: World Affairs – Russia Conducts Nuclear Drills as Putin-Trump Summit on Ukraine Falters
Moscow – October 22, 2025 – Amidst escalating tensions over the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the postponement of a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw strategic nuclear forces exercises on Wednesday.
The drills, conducted via videoconference from the Kremlin’s Presidential Situation Centre, involved practice missile launches and simulated procedures for authorizing the use of nuclear weapons. According to the Kremlin, a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was test-fired from the Plesetsk launch facility, while a Sineva ICBM was launched from a submarine in the Barents Sea. Tu-95 strategic bombers also participated by firing long-range cruise missiles.
General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the military’s General Staff, reported to President Putin that the exercises were designed to simulate “procedures for authorising the use of nuclear weapons.”
The timing of the exercises coincides with uncertainty surrounding a potential meeting between Putin and Trump to discuss the situation in Ukraine. President Trump announced the summit, scheduled for Budapest, just last week. The summit was then put on hold on Tuesday, with Trump stating he didn’t want it to be a “waste of time.”
The decision to postpone the summit reportedly followed a call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday. Lavrov has made Russia’s position clear: they oppose an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. President Trump’s own stance on the conflict has fluctuated, including his views on the timing of a ceasefire and the possibility of Ukraine reclaiming territory seized by Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized the need for thorough preparation for any future summit, stating, “No one wants to waste time: neither President Trump nor President Putin… But effectiveness always requires preparation.”
The developments are sure to be closely watched by observers in India and across the globe as they analyze the evolving dynamics of international relations and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.
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