Putin fires direct Nuke threat to Donald Trump as Russia is deploying new hypersonic, nuclear missile for U.S, NATO

Vladimir Putin has upped the ante in Moscow's confrontation with the West, saying work was underway to deploy Russia's new hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile in neighboring Belarus this year. Putin had revealed the existence of the missile, the intermediate range Oreshnik, in November when the Russian military launched it at Ukraine in response to Ukraine using U.S. and British weapons to hit targets deep in Russia.

Asked about the prospect of deploying the missiles in Belarus, which borders several NATO member countries, Putin said military experts from both countries had picked a location. "There is work underway now to prepare those positions," he told Russian reporters. "So it looks like we will likely settle this issue before the end of the year."

Donald Trump vs Vladimir Putin

Putin didn't directly respond to Trump's ultimatum, made on Monday. The U.S. president threatened to apply financial penalties on Russia and buyers of its oil, which include China, India and Turkey, if Moscow failed to end the war within about 12 days.

As Trump has dialed up his rhetoric, Russia has intensified attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine -- strikes that, according to Trump, demonstrate that the Russian leader isn't interested in peace.

On Thursday, at least 31 people were killed and 150 more were injured when Russian missiles and drones rammed into several buildings in the capital Kyiv, turning the side of one apartment building into rubble.

Speaking to reporters during a visit Friday to a remote monastery in northwest Russia, Putin suggested people expressing frustration with the slow nature of peace talks had underestimated the task.

"All disappointments come from inflated expectations," Putin said. "In order to solve the issue in a peaceful way, we need deep conversations, not in public, but in the silence of a negotiating process," Putin stated.

For weeks, top Russian officials have suggested that Trump does not appreciate the complex details that must be worked out to make a peace deal that will satisfy both Moscow and Kyiv.

But critics, including Trump and other Western leaders, have countered that Putin appears to be running out the clock during negotiations to avoid committing to a ceasefire. Russia is in the middle of a summer offensive and has been gaining territory on the battlefield, giving Putin confidence as Ukraine struggles to amass sufficient armaments and personnel.

Despite multiple conversations with Trump, Putin has given no indication that he is willing to budge on his sweeping demands of Ukraine.

In his comments Friday, Putin said "the conditions certainly remain the same" for ending the war. In the past, the Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine be prevented from joining military alliances such as NATO and subjected to limits on its military. It also wants Kyiv to hand over vast swaths of territory, including some areas that Moscow has been unable to capture or hold on to since its 2022 invasion.

Ukraine has denounced those demands as unacceptable and a violation of its sovereignty.

Trump underscored how many casualties Russia has been suffering on the battlefield in a post Friday on Truth Social after Putin's comments, claiming that 20,000 Russian soldiers had died this month. "That is a lot of unnecessary DEATH!" he wrote.

FAQs

Q1. Who is President of USA?
A1. President of USA is Donald Trump.

Q2. Who is President of Russia?
A2. President of Russia is Vladimir Putin.