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 current 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 current remarks as “extremely provocative” and warned that “phrases are essential, and may usually result in unintended penalties. I hope this won’t be a type of cases.”
The transfer marks the most recent escalation in rhetoric between the 2 leaders, who’ve traded barbs over Russia’s ongoing battle in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Trump gave Moscow a 10-day deadline to conform to a ceasefire or face new US tariffs on Russian oil and on international locations that buy it.
Russia has not signaled any willingness to fulfill Trump’s circumstances and continues to advance its personal calls for for peace.
Medvedev, at present deputy chairman of Russia’s Safety Council, responded by accusing Trump of enjoying a “recreation of ultimatums” and reminded the US chief of Russia’s legacy nuclear strike capabilities inherited from the Soviet Union.
The Kremlin has circuitously commented on Trump’s newest transfer, however Medvedev’s remarks had been extensively lined in Russian state media. As soon as seen as a extra reasonable determine, Medvedev has lately turn into one in every of Moscow’s most vocal anti-Western hardliners, usually issuing hawkish statements that Kremlin critics describe as reckless.
Nevertheless, some Western diplomats view Medvedev’s rhetoric as a window into broader pondering inside the Kremlin’s senior coverage circles.
The deployment of submarines provides to mounting tensions as each side dig in over Ukraine and lift the stakes forward of Trump’s self-imposed ceasefire deadline.
