‘This Is a Sovereign Matter’: Kremlin Softens Stance on Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Shield

The Kremlin said Wednesday that US President Donald Trump’s plan to build a “Golden Dome” missile shield is mostly a decision for the United States to make, softening earlier criticism that the idea could destabilize global security.

Trump first ordered the project a week after returning to the White House in January. The system would place missile interceptors in space to defend against ballistic and hypersonic weapons.

Speaking to reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US has the right to protect itself.

“This is a sovereign matter for the United States,” Peskov said. “If the United States believes that there is a missile threat, then of course it will develop a missile defense system. That is what all countries do.”

However, he also said that the plan could lead to renewed talks between Washington and Moscow on nuclear arms control.

“In the foreseeable future, the course of events will require the resumption of contacts to restore strategic stability,” he said.

Peskov’s remarks came shortly after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call on Monday, which Trump described as going “very well.”

Since his return to office, Trump has worked to improve ties with the Kremlin, hoping to help end Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began more than three years ago.

Russia had previously slammed the Golden Dome project, saying it could turn space into a “battlefield.” Earlier this month, Russia and China issued a joint statement calling the plan “deeply destabilizing.”

Other Topics of Interest

Budanov: Russia’s Top Fear Is Threats to Putin’s Regime

The Kremlin’s main concern is not Russia’s struggling economy but the erosion of Putin’s grip on power, the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office said. He argued that growing awareness of the war inside Russia is putting pressure on Moscow, while stressing that any settlement must include security guarantees for Ukraine.

The name “Golden Dome” is a nod to Israel’s Iron Dome, a defense system that has shot down thousands of short-range rockets since 2011. However, US officials say the threats facing Washington are very different, involving longer-range and faster weapons.

On Wednesday, China also criticized the US missile shield plan, calling it a danger to global security.

The United States and Russia hold the world’s largest nuclear arsenals.