Oops! Wednesday’s Final Word

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The Telegraph: Vladimir Putin has carried out nuclear missile tests and large-scale drills a day after his summit with Donald Trump was cancelled.

A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was test-fired from the Plesetsk launch facility in northwestern Russia, and a Sineva ICBM was launched by a submarine in the Barents Sea.

Strategic bomber forces also took part, with Tu‑95 aircraft launching long‑range cruise missiles, the Kremlin added in a statement.

Ed: Putin’s trying another round of “escalate to de-escalate.” Will that bother Trump? The last time Putin tried that via his toady Medvedev, Trump threatened to escalate weapons transfers to Ukraine, and the Kremlin walked back Medvedev’s comments. With Tomahawks on the table, this seems like a bad idea for Putin. And sure enough …

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