Russia tests nuclear ‘Skyfall’ missile, Putin says – DW – 10/27/2025

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Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defense systems remained deployed throughout the night to repel attacks targeting the capital.

The attacks caused the closure of two of the city’s four airports.

Just before 10 pm local time (1900 GMT) on Sunday, Russian defense units downed several drones.

Rosaviatsiya, the Russian aviation watchdog, said the larger Domodedovo airport and the smaller Zhukovsky airport were closed to ensure air safety.

There was no information about possible damage.

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico said his country would not participate in any EU program aimed at helping finance military security for Ukraine in the fight against Russia’s aggression.

Slovakia stopped state military aid to Ukraine when Fico’s government comes to power in 2023, but still allows commercial sales.

“I refuse to allow Slovakia to participate in any financial scheme aimed at helping Ukraine manage war and military spending,” Fico said in a televised press conference on Sunday.

Fico’s stance on the war contrasts with that of other EU states, as he believes that the end of the war is not on the battlefield.

EU leaders agreed on Thursday to finance Ukraine’s “urgent financial needs” for the next two years, but did not support a plan to use frozen Russian assets to finance a €140 billion ($160 billion) loan to Kiev.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that this money can be immediately used to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense, air fleet and front-line positions.

According to Russian news agencies, the Kremlin said it was wrong to say that the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump had been cancelled.

“The president cannot meet just for the sake of meeting, he cannot waste his time, and he is open about this,” the RIA agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

Earlier, Trump had reduced the chances of summit talks with Putin.

“I need to know we’re going to make a deal. I’m not going to waste my time,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Asia.

Plans for a summit between Trump and Putin in Budapest fell through earlier this week. They were to discuss ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine

“I’ve always had a good relationship with Vladimir Putin, but this has been very disappointing,” Trump said. “I thought it might have been done before peace in the Middle East.”

His comments came as Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev met with Trump administration officials on Friday and Saturday, including the president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, US media reported.

Russia says it has successfully completed final testing of the new nuclear-powered cruise missile Burevestnik.

President Vladimir Putin announced the weapon in a video released by the Kremlin, calling it “unique.”

“Conclusive tests have now been completed,” Putin said, ordering preparations for its deployment.

Military officials say the missile flew more than 14,000 kilometers in a 15-hour test flight earlier this month.

The missile, known as “Skyfall” by NATO, is said to have virtually unlimited range and the ability to evade existing missile defenses.

Putin called the missile a “unique creation that no one else in the world has”, but Western analysts have questioned its strategic value, suggesting it adds little to Russia’s existing arsenal.

We begin our coverage this Sunday in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin, dressed in camouflage, met with top military commanders at a command post monitoring the war in Ukraine.

During the visit, he announced that Russia had successfully completed final testing of a new nuclear-capable cruise missile, the Burevestnik.

This comes just days after Putin personally inspected a large-scale exercise of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces to test the country’s readiness and command systems.

“The sophistication of our nuclear deterrent forces is at the highest level,” he said on Wednesday.

The announcement coincides with NATO ending its own nuclear exercises in the North Sea, highlighting tensions between Russia and the West.

We’ll be following this story and other developments in Ukraine throughout the day.

We’re pausing the blog for now, and will be back with an update later today.

US President Donald Trump told reporters that he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin only if there was a willingness to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

“I need to know that we’re going to get a deal. I’m not going to waste my time,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Malaysia.

The Trump administration and the Kremlin have played down the proposal that the leaders of the US and Russia meet any time soon, with Trump suggesting a meeting between the pair in Budapest.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the parties should stop fighting on the current battle lines before entering peace talks.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin has been demanding that Ukraine hand over the entire eastern Donetsk region to Russia, an issue the US president reportedly raised with Zelensky during talks.

Zelensky has rejected the proposal.

Germany’s Economy and Energy Minister Katharina Reich, who is on a three-day visit to Ukraine, had to take shelter amid Russia’s overnight air strikes on Kiev.

At a news conference on Saturday, Reich said the experience was painful for him, but for Ukrainians it was part of daily life.

“That night clearly showed me once again that Russia’s attacks on the Ukrainian population are aimed at weakening them,” he said.

At least two people were killed and 12 others were injured in the attacks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy was in the United States for talks with officials just days after President Donald Trump imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil companies to encourage peace talks.

Kirill Dmitriev said that despite the sanctions, talks between Moscow and Washington will continue

“Such dialogue is important for the world and should be continued with full understanding of Russia’s position and respect for its national interests,” he wrote on social media.

Axios Dmitriev was reported to meet with US Ambassador Steve Witkoff during his visit.

Speaking to CNN, Dmitriev said Russia, the US and Ukraine are close to a diplomatic solution to the war.

Russia has launched another major attack on Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people and injuring 16.

Missiles and drones attacked Kiev and the Dnipropetrovsk region, causing damage to buildings including kindergartens and cars.

In Kiev, two people died and nine were injured.

“Explosion in the capital. The city is under ballistic attack,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram during the attack.

Two more people were killed in Dnipropetrovsk, where apartment blocks and shops were affected.

Ukraine’s air force says it intercepted most of the incoming missiles and drones.

Russia says it shot down 121 Ukrainian drones over its territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is demanding tougher sanctions on Russia’s oil industry and more military support from Western allies.

He made the appeal in London, where European leaders, part of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, met to discuss long-term security guarantees if a ceasefire ends the war.

Meanwhile, a Russian envoy in Washington is also holding peace talks with American officials.

But the fight continues. Overnight, Russian missiles struck Ukrainian cities, underscoring the ongoing intensity of the war.

Stay tuned here for the latest developments in our continuing coverage of the three-year conflict.