WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump mentioned on Friday (Aug 1) he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be repositioned to the “applicable areas” in response to latest threats from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
“I’ve ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned within the applicable areas, simply in case these silly and inflammatory statements are extra than simply that,” Trump posted on social media.
He described Medvedev’s latest remarks as “extremely provocative” and warned that “phrases are essential, and might usually result in unintended penalties. I hope this is not going to be a kind of cases.”
The transfer marks the most recent escalation in rhetoric between the 2 leaders, who’ve traded barbs over Russia’s ongoing warfare in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Trump gave Moscow a 10-day deadline to comply with a ceasefire or face new US tariffs on Russian oil and on international locations that buy it.
Trump didn’t make clear whether or not the submarines are nuclear-powered or armed with nuclear weapons. The US Navy has declined to touch upon the matter, and the Pentagon has not responded to media inquiries.
Russia has not signaled any willingness to satisfy Trump’s situations and continues to advance its personal calls for for peace.
Medvedev, at the moment deputy chairman of Russia’s Safety Council, responded by accusing Trump of taking part in a “sport of ultimatums” and reminded the US chief of Russia’s legacy nuclear strike capabilities inherited from the Soviet Union.
The Kremlin has indirectly commented on Trump’s newest transfer, however Medvedev’s remarks have been broadly coated in Russian state media. As soon as seen as a extra average determine, Medvedev has lately change into one among Moscow’s most vocal anti-Western hardliners, usually issuing hawkish statements that Kremlin critics describe as reckless.
Nonetheless, some Western diplomats view Medvedev’s rhetoric as a window into broader considering inside the Kremlin’s senior coverage circles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned Friday that whereas Moscow welcomed extra peace talks with Ukraine, the momentum on the battlefield remained in Russia’s favor.
Trump, who as soon as touted shut ties with Putin, has grown extra brazenly annoyed with the Russian chief, calling latest assaults on Ukraine “disgusting” and accusing him of spreading “bullshit.”
Trump beforehand rebuked Medvedev in July for mentioning nuclear weapons in response to US strikes on Iran. On the time, Trump accused him of “throwing across the N (nuclear) phrase” and mocked the Kremlin by saying, “I suppose that’s why Putin’s THE BOSS.”
The deployment of submarines provides to mounting tensions as either side dig in over Ukraine and lift the stakes forward of Trump’s self-imposed ceasefire deadline.
Solely six international locations function nuclear-powered submarines: the US, the UK, Russia, China, France and India. The US Navy operates 71 submarines, all of that are nuclear-powered, although just some carry nuclear warheads.
