By Tom Balmforth and Jonathan Landay

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Russia is preparing to test its new nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered cruise missile and if successful, plans to use the results to bolster its negotiating position with the West, Ukrainian military intelligence said on Friday.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for the service, issued the written statement to Reuters just before U.S. President Donald Trump was due to hold talks in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

He did not give an assessment of the possible timing of the test in the statement, given in response to questions submitted by Reuters for a report published on Tuesday that Moscow was preparing to test the 9M730 Burevestnik cruise missile.

He did not say how his service

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