Putin’s Nuclear Bravado Earns a Rare Rebuke From Trump
- Trump calls Russian leader ‘irresponsible’ over weapons show
- U.S., Russian military lobbies may gain from renewed tensions
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While Vladimir Putin boasted that his latest “invincible” nuclear weapons prove the U.S. and its allies have failed to contain Russia, the display of bravado risks a new arms race that his country is ill-equipped to win.
Putin earned a rare rebuke on Monday from U.S. President Donald Trump, who called him “irresponsible” for showing off the weapons in a speech to Russia’s Federal Assembly last week that was laced with anti-American rhetoric ahead of March 18 presidential election. He played videos of warheads targeting what appeared to be a map of Florida, as he complained the U.S. repeatedly ignored Russian objections to its missile-defense shield.