Russia Holds Nuclear Drills as Trump-Putin Summit Stalls

Just one day after the White House announced a delay in the planned summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow wasted no time flexing its nuclear muscle. In a move clearly intended to send a message to both Washington and Kyiv, Russia conducted a massive nuclear weapons drill, complete with intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

The timing couldn’t be more deliberate. The Kremlin released footage showing General Valery Gerasimov reporting directly to Putin on the success of the exercises a not-so-subtle reminder of Russia’s nuclear capabilities amid a stalled peace process and ongoing escalation in Ukraine.

This latest display of Russian aggression came as:

• Over 400 Iranian-made drones and 28 missiles rained down on Ukrainian infrastructure overnight.

• Ukraine intercepted 333 drones and 16 missiles, but others hit critical energy systems, forcing widespread emergency power outages.

• Six civilians, including two children, were killed in the attacks on Kyiv and nearby regions.

Russia’s behavior is eerily familiar. At every turn in the Ukraine conflict, Putin has resorted to saber-rattling and nuclear brinkmanship to leverage negotiations or punish Western hesitation. The Biden administration’s response? More delay, more dithering, and no real action just as we’ve come to expect.

While Trump had originally planned a follow-up summit with Putin in Hungary, the White House suddenly announced there were “no immediate plans” for a meeting. Trump, ever the dealmaker, reportedly refused to waste time on a fruitless conversation unless real progress could be made.

Meanwhile, Russia’s conditions for peace remain outlandish. The Kremlin insists on total control over the southeastern Donbas region a direct rejection of Trump’s call for both sides to freeze the conflict at the current front lines. Yet despite these hardened positions, both sides maintain that summit preparations are technically ongoing.

“It’s a difficult process, I admit – but that’s precisely what diplomats are for,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

The problem is, diplomacy means nothing when it’s met with missile fire and chemical plant strikes. Ukraine’s military confirmed it used French-British Storm Shadow missiles to hit a facility in Russia’s Bryansk region in retaliation. The tit-for-tat is escalating while Biden’s foreign policy team continues to stall, deflect, and delegate.

All of this reinforces one truth: the current administration has no strategy to contain Russia, no plan to resolve the war, and no backbone to stand up to Putin. President Trump, in contrast, has consistently called for an end to the bloodshed and sought to bring both sides to the table but on America’s terms, not Putin’s.

Europe is clearly paying attention. Stocks for European defense contractors surged on news of the summit delay, as leaders across the continent ramp up their own defense spending. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Sweden’s prime minister at the Saab weapons development facility, signaling Kyiv's expectation of continued war not peace.

As winter approaches, Ukraine’s grid is buckling under Russian attacks. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is begging for emergency energy assistance to avoid a humanitarian disaster.

“Russian words about diplomacy mean nothing,” Zelensky warned, “as long as the Russian leadership does not feel critical problems.”

And therein lies the truth: deterrence works only when your enemies take you seriously. Trump understands this. Biden never has.

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