The Kremlin on Monday downplayed President Trump’s recent announcement that two US nuclear submarines were being deployed to “appropriate regions” in response to comments from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that US nuclear-armed submarines are always at sea and on patrol, regardless of Trump’s comments. “In this case, it is obvious that US submarines are already on combat duty. This is an ongoing process,” he said.
Peskov also cautioned against rhetoric related to nuclear weapons. “Russia takes the issue of nuclear non-proliferation very seriously. And, of course, we believe that everyone should be extremely careful when it comes to nuclear rhetoric,” he said.
Trump announced the submarine deployment after Medvedev said that the US president’s ultimatums on the Ukraine war are “a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with (Trump’s) own country.”
Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy of the Russian Security Council, is known for his hawkish rhetoric and hasn’t posted on social media since Trump’s announcement about the nuclear submarines.
Trump has given Russia a deadline of August 8 to end the war in Ukraine and is threatening that the US will impose tariffs on Moscow’s trading partners if a deal isn’t reached. Ukraine is calling for the US to “strangle” the Russian economy, but the tariffs and any potential economic sanctions aren’t expected to have much impact on Russia.
