
Russia plays down Trump's order to move 2 nuclear subs, urges caution on nuclear rhetoric
Russia said on Monday that everyone should be "very, very careful" about nuclear rhetoric, responding to a statement by U.S. President Donald Trump that he had ordered a repositioning of U.S. nuclear submarines.
In its first public reaction to Trump's comments, the Kremlin played down their significance and said it was not looking to get into a public argument with him.
Trump said on Friday he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be moved to "the appropriate regions" in response to remarks from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries.
"In this case, it is obvious that American submarines are already on combat duty. This is an ongoing process, that's the first thing," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"But in general, of course, we would not want to get involved in such a controversy and would not want to comment on it in any way," he said. "Of course, we believe that everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric."
The episode comes at a delicate moment, with Trump threatening to impose new sanctions on Russia and buyers of its oil, including India and China, unless President Vladimir Putin agrees by Friday to end the 3½-year war in Ukraine.
WATCH | Trump says he has ordered two nuclear submarines to move closer to Russia:
Trump deploys nuclear submarines after Russian ex-president's online comments
2 days ago
U.S. President Donald Trump says he has ordered two nuclear submarines to move closer to Russia in response to social media comments by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries.
Putin said last week that peace talks had made some positive progress but that Russia had the momentum in the war, signaling no shift in his position despite the looming deadline.
Trump has said he may send his envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia on Wednesday or Thursday. Witkoff has held long conversations with Putin on several previous visits but failed to persuade him to agree to a ceasefire.
The Kremlin declined to say if his latest proposed trip was taking place at Moscow's request and did not say what it hoped might emerge from it.
"We are always happy to see Mr. Witkoff in Moscow and we are always happy to have contacts with Mr. Witkoff. We consider them important, meaningful and very useful," Peskov said.
Online spat
Trump, who frequently promised to end the war within 24 hours while campaigning for the U.S. presidency last year, has spoken admiringly of Putin in the past but voiced increasing frustration with him of late.
Russia has stepped up the ferocity of its bombing attacks on Ukrainian cities, while three brief sessions of direct peace talks in Turkey have yielded no progress beyond exchanges of prisoners and war dead.
Some security analysts in both Russia and the West have criticized Trump for escalating an online spat with former president Medvedev — an arch-hawk whose statements are frequently designed to shock and provoke — to the point of publicly discussing U.S. nuclear deployments.
WATCH | Trump says Russia needs to reach ceasefire with Ukraine or face 'very severe tariffs':
Trump gives Putin 50-day deadline for Ukraine ceasefire
20 days ago
Peskov, however, said Russia did not see Trump's statement as marking an escalation in nuclear tension.
"We do not believe that we are talking about any escalation now. It is clear that very complex, very sensitive issues are being discussed, which, of course, are perceived very emotionally by many people," he said.
Peskov declined to answer directly when asked whether the Kremlin had tried to warn Medvedev to tone down his online statements.
"The main thing, of course, is the position of President Putin," he said.

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Toronto Sun
4 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
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Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. 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CTV News
34 minutes ago
- CTV News
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