Putin brandishes a new nuclear-powered missile as he digs in over Russia’s demands on Ukraine

By holding nuclear drills and boasting about a successful test of a pioneering atomic-powered cruise missile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending a message to President Donald Trump: Moscow won’t be cowed into making concessions on Ukraine.

Facing Trump’s call for a quick ceasefire and bruising, new U.S. sanctions on Russia’s oil industry, Putin is again reminding the U.S. and other Western allies of Kyiv about his nuclear arsenal to back his longstanding, maximalist demands.

He has said Ukraine must pull back its forces from the four regions that Russia has annexed illegally but never fully captured, as well as abandon its bid to join NATO — demands rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies.

Here is a look at Russia’s new missile and its role in Putin’s nuclear messaging:

Russia responds to a US missile shield

The Burevestnik, which means “storm petrel” in Russian, is the world’s first nuclear-powered missile. That propulsion gives it virtually unlimited range, allowing it to loiter for days, circling the enemy’s air defenses and attacking from an unexpected direction.

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