Europe ends its Trumpian trade nightmare
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The Guardian
33 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump moves nuclear submarines after ex-Russia president's menacing tweet
Donald Trump has said that he has deployed nuclear-capable submarines to the 'appropriate regions' in response to a threatening tweet by Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev, suggesting that he would be ready to launch a nuclear strike as tensions rise over the war in Ukraine. In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote that he had decided to reposition the nuclear submarines because of 'highly provocative statements' by Medvedev, noting he was now the deputy chairman of Russia's security council. Medvedev had earlier said that Trump's threats to sanction Russia and a recent ultimatum were 'a threat and a step towards war'. 'I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,' Trump responded. 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.' He did not specify whether he was referring to nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. Asked later by reporters why he ordered the submarine movement, Trump said: 'A threat was made by a former president of Russia and we're going to protect our people.' Medvedev, who was sidelined when Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency in 2012, is also an avid fan of X, formerly Twitter, where he often posts aggressive and curiously worded attacks against western countries and leaders in the evening in Moscow. Earlier this week, Medvedev had attacked Trump for shortening his timeline for Russia to make progress toward peace with Ukraine from 50 days down to just 10, saying that he was ready to impose sanctions and other financial penalties against Russia if it didn't comply. 'Trump's playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10,' Medvedev wrote in a post. 'He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn't Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. 'Don't go down the Sleepy Joe road!' he added, referring to the former US president Joe Biden. Some security analysts called Trump's move a rhetorical escalation with Moscow but not necessarily a military one, given that the US already has nuclear-powered submarines that are deployed and capable of striking Russia. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Trump has voiced frustration with Putin, who he said had been stalling on Trump's efforts to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, a campaign promise that he said that he could achieve in just 24 hours. On Thursday he described Russia's continued attacks on civilian areas as 'disgusting'. 'I go home. I tell the first lady, 'You know, I spoke to Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.' She said, 'Oh, really? Another city was just hit,'' he said in at the White House last month. Putin has not responded to Trump's ultimatum. On Friday, he said he wanted a 'lasting and stable peace' in Ukraine but gave no indication that he was willing to make any concessions to achieve it, after a week in which Russian missiles and drones again caused death and destruction across Ukraine. 'We need a lasting and stable peace on solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and would ensure the security of both countries,' said Putin, speaking to journalists on Friday, a week before a new deadline imposed by Trump for hostilities to cease. Putin has periodically claimed to be interested in peace, but only on terms wholly unacceptable to Kyiv. Last week, the third round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul, but broke up in less than an hour and have so far led to no agreements except on prisoner exchanges. In an apparent reference to Trump's comments, Putin said on Friday: 'As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations. This is a well-known general rule.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
3 people die in overnight Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia
Ukrainian drone attacks overnight into Saturday killed three people, Russian officials said Saturday. Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted or destroyed 112 drones across eight Russian regions and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. A drone attack on the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, killed one person, acting governor Yuri Slyusar said. Further from the front line, a woman was killed and two other people wounded in a drone strike on business premises in the Penza region, according to regional governor Oleg Melnichenko. In the Samara region, falling drone debris sparked a fire that killed an elderly resident, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 53 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight into Saturday. It said that air defenses shot down or jammed 45 drones. Eleven people were wounded in an overnight drone strike on the Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Saturday. The reciprocal drone strikes followed a day of mourning in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday, after a Russian drone and missile attack killed 31 people, including five children, and wounded over 150. The continued attacks come after U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline — Aug. 8 — for peace efforts to make progress. Trump said Thursday that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made. ___
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump moves nuclear submarines in response to Russian ex-president's ‘foolish' threats
Donald Trump says he has ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the "appropriate regions" after "inflammatory" comments from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. The US president's move comes after Mr Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russia 's Security Council, told Trump to remember Moscow had Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities. Writing on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said he was ordering the American boats to 'the appropriate regions' due to what he called 'the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia' and noted Medvedev's status as a deputy chair of the Russian national security council. Trump said the move was a precautionary measure 'just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.' Later, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump added: 'A threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we're going to protect our people." Who is Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev who has raised the prospect of war? Dmitry Medvedev was Russia's president from 2008 to 2012, while Vladimir Putin was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and then stepped aside to let him run again. Now deputy chairman of Russia's National Security Council, which Vladimir Putin chairs, Medvedev has been known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since the start of the war in 2022. That's a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive. Mr Medvedev has frequently wielded nuclear threats and lobbed insults at Western leaders on social media. Some observers have argued that with his extravagant rhetoric, Medvedev is seeking to score political points with Putin and Russian military hawks. One such example before the latest spat with Mr Trump came on 15 July, after Mr Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via its NATO allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow. Mr Medvedev posted then, "Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care." Alexander Butler2 August 2025 08:21 US nuclear submarines 'closer to Russia', says Trump Two US nuclear submarines are closer to Russia, US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Newsmax. "They are closer to Russia, I assume," the US leader said. "We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines.' Alexander Butler2 August 2025 07:45 Full report | Trump says he 'ordered' nuclear submarines to 'region' over Ukraine war rhetoric from Russia's Medvedev Trump says he 'ordered' nuclear submarines over Ukraine war rhetoric from Medvedev American nuclear missile submarines are always deployed as part of the U.S. nuclear 'triad' Stuti Mishra2 August 2025 06:35 Europe should see Ukrainian military as European army, says Russian opposition activist Europe must start seeing the Ukrainian military as a European army, a prominent Russian opposition activist Ilya Yashin said on Friday. 'The Ukrainian army is not only protecting Ukraine, it is protecting Europe from Russian aggression,' he said in a speech addressing Russians in exile at Belgrade concert hall. Mr Yashin was imprisoned in 2022 for criticising Russia's invasion of Ukraine and released last year. Between February 2022 and 2024, more than 74,000 Russians registered for temporary residence in Serbia, according to the latest interior ministry data. Stuti Mishra2 August 2025 06:05 Two-year-old among 31 dead in Russian attack A two-year-old was among the five children found dead after Thursday's Russian drone and missile attack, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Friday, announcing the end of the rescue operation. The death toll rose to 31 after rescuers recovered more than a dozen more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block in Kyiv overnight. A total of 159 people were wounded in the strikes, which saw Russia launch more than 300 drones and eight missiles early on Thursday. Stuti Mishra2 August 2025 05:30 Who is Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev who has raised the prospect of war? Dmitry Medvedev was Russia's president from 2008 to 2012, while Vladimir Putin was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and then stepped aside to let him run again. Now deputy chairman of Russia's National Security Council, which Vladimir Putin chairs, Medvedev has been known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since the start of the war in 2022. That's a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive. Mr Medvedev has frequently wielded nuclear threats and lobbed insults at Western leaders on social media. Some observers have argued that with his extravagant rhetoric, Medvedev is seeking to score political points with Putin and Russian military hawks. One such example before the latest spat with Mr Trump came on 15 July, after Mr Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via its NATO allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow. Mr Medvedev posted then, "Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care." Stuti Mishra2 August 2025 05:00 Trump alarmed by Medvedev's comments as US sends special envoy to Russia Donald Trump said later on Friday that he was alarmed by Medvedev's attitude. "He's got a fresh mouth," Trump said in an interview with Newsmax. Mr Trump has said that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made. He cut his 50-day deadline for action to 10 days, with that window set to expire next week. Stuti Mishra2 August 2025 04:18 Photos of the latest Russian drone and missile attack in Kyiv Photos of the latest Russian drone and missile attack in Kyiv Ukrainian authorities say a Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, killed a number of people, including a 6-year-old boy, and wounded dozens of others. A large part of a nine-story residential building collapsed after it was struck. Jabed Ahmed2 August 2025 03:00 Watch | Trump: It's 'disgusting' what Russia is doing to Ukraine 2 August 2025 02:00 Putin says Russia's hypersonic missile has entered service and will be deployed in Belarus Jabed Ahmed2 August 2025 01:00
