Russian state TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov has said that Russia could destroy the United States with nuclear strikes ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Solovyov was responding Trump’s threat of consequences if Putin does not agree to end the war in Ukraine at their meeting in Alaska on Friday.
Why It Matters
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Anchorage, Alaska. It will be the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since Trump’s return to the presidency and comes amid high tensions over Ukraine, NATO expansion and economic sanctions.
Trump has signaled a tough stance going into the talks, saying there will be “severe consequences” for Putin if there is no end to the fighting in Ukraine.
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What To Know
Solovyov said on his show Full Contact on Thursday: “The only thing that the West understands is strength.”
“We can destroy all of them with nuclear weapons,” he said, according to a translation from Russian Media Monitor, a project monitoring Russian state television. “Let them think about it during our commercial break.”
Trump has described the upcoming Alaska meeting as “a feel-out” to gauge whether Putin is serious about ending a war now in its fourth year.
He did not outline what consequences Russia could face but Solovyov speculated they would be economic.
Solovyov said: “No one has the right to impose their will upon the president of the Russian Federation, who is elected by the Russian people. He represents the interests and aspirations of the Russian people.
“When Trump suddenly starts to act as though he can give us directives and is threatening us, we can actually destroy America…America can destroy us as well, but we can do it faster and more effectively.”
What People Are Saying
Russian state TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov said: “There will be consequences—sanctions? Tariffs?…Yes there will be severe consequences, we will destroy all of Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram: “Putin is definitely not preparing for a ceasefire or an end to the war. He is determined only to present a meeting with America as his personal victory and then continue acting exactly as before, applying the same pressure on Ukraine.”
President Donald Trump said: “Well, you’re looking at territory that’s been fought over for 3 1/2 years…you know, a lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died.
“So we’re looking at that, but we’re actually looking to get some back. Some swapping. It’s complicated…but we’re going to get some back, we’re going to get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
What Happens Next
The one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin is scheduled to be followed by delegation talks and a joint press conference, with U.S. and allied diplomats monitoring whether the Alaska summit produces a cease-fire framework or specific commitments on sanctions and territorial issues.
Analysts warned that any U.S.-Russia agreement that excludes Kyiv risked undermining Ukrainian sovereignty and splintering Western unity, and protesters in Anchorage have already shown their support for Ukraine in the run-up to the meeting.
Any agreements or confrontations that emerge from the Anchorage summit are likely to shape the course of U.S.-Russia relations as well as the outcome of the war in Ukraine.