Russia walks out of ballistic missile treaty with US as Medvedev warns nemesis Donald Trump & Europe ‘expect more'
ROCKET MAN Russia walks out of ballistic missile treaty with US as Medvedev warns nemesis Donald Trump & Europe 'expect more'
DMITRY Medvedev slammed NATO's 'anti-Russian policy' for driving Russia to scrap the Cold War-era moratorium on nuclear missiles.
In his latest online clash with Donald Trump, the ex-Russian president ominously warned the West to 'expect further steps'.
5
The Kremlin announced on Monday it was withdrawing from its self-imposed ban on deploying mid- and short-range missiles
Credit: Getty
5
Ex-President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia's withdrawal was 'the result of NATO countries' anti-Russian policy'
Credit: AFP
5
Footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry on March 2024 purportedly shows the test firing of an ICBM
Credit: AFP
Medvedev's comments came shortly after Russia's Foreign Ministry said the country no longer regarded itself bound by the moratorium on the deployment of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles.
The ex-president wrote on X on Monday: "The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement on the withdrawal of the moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles is the result of NATO countries' anti-Russian policy.
"This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps."
The deputy head of Russia's powerful Security Council did not elaborate on the nature of the "further steps".
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed in December 1987 by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.
But the US withdrew from the treaty in 2019, accusing Russia of breaking the rules.
Moscow has since said it will not deploy the missiles - with ranges of 311 to 3,418 miles - unless Washington does first.
But Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned last December that Moscow would have to respond to what he called the US and NATO's "destabilising actions".
The ministry said: "Since the situation is developing towards the actual deployment of U.S.-made land-based medium- and short-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Foreign Ministry notes that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have disappeared."
It comes as Trump said on Friday that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned to "the appropriate regions".
Russia and China begin war games in Sea of Japan after Trump nuclear threat
Trump and Medvedev have been locked in a war of words after the ex-Russian president accused Trump of 'playing the ultimatum game' over the White House's push to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump first gave Putin 50 days to end the war - but slashed the deadline to just 10 days from July 29 due to a lack of progress on Moscow's part.
The US president also vowed to impose secondary tariffs on Russia if a ceasefire agreement is not reached by August 8.
Medvedev ominously warned Trump that Russia "isn't Israel or even Iran".
5
It comes as Trump ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned near Russia
Credit: Getty
5
A photo taken from video released by the Russian Defence Ministry in August 2024 of a Russian Army Buk-2M missile system targeting Ukraine
Credit: AP
"Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war," he wrote on a post on X.
Trump blasted Medvedev's comments as 'foolish and inflammatory' before ordering nuclear submarines to be deployed near Russian waters.
"Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The US has the world's largest fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, led by the USS Virginia - a 377-foot vessel armed with cruise missiles.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
10 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO deal
The Netherlands will buy €500m of US weapons for Ukraine, becoming the first NATO member to fund a full package under a new scheme to speed deliveries from American stockpiles, the defence ministry said. The purchase will be under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism launched by US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last month. Under the scheme, countries pay Washington for defence systems and munitions in US warehouses that are then shipped to Ukraine, which has been battling a Russian invasion since February 2022. "The Netherlands is now taking the lead in supplying military equipment from American stockpiles," Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on X. "By supporting Ukraine with determination, we are increasing the pressure on Russia to negotiate." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in a call yesterday evening. "These weapons are badly needed," Mr Schoof posted on X, highlighting the near-daily drone and missile attacks by Russia. The Dutch package includes US Patriot missile parts and other systems tailored to Ukraine's front-line requirements, according to the defence ministry. Mr Brekelmans called the Russian air strikes "pure terror" and warned that Moscow's advance into Ukrainian territory could pose a broader threat to Europe. "The more Russia dominates Ukraine, the greater the danger to the Netherlands and our NATO allies," he said. Mr Rutte welcomed the move, calling it a vital first step under the new framework. "Great to see the Netherlands taking the lead and funding the first package of US military equipment for Ukraine," he said on X. "I thank Allies for getting Ukraine the equipment it urgently needs to defend against Russian aggression." Two children among wounded in Kharkiv, officials say Meanwhile, one person was killed and 10 people, including two children, were wounded early today in Russia's largest air attack on the Ukrainian town of Lozova since the war began, officials said. The "massive strike" damaged the train station and other infrastructure in the town, a transport hub in the Kharkiv region bordering Russia, state rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia said in a statement. Photos shared by emergency services appeared to show a damaged train and rubble covering a train platform. "Critical infrastructure, apartment buildings and private homes have been damaged ... Lozova has endured the largest attack since the beginning of the war," town council head Serhiy Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Two children were wounded in the attack that left parts of the region without power and water, he added. Ukrzaliznytsia said one of its employees died and four more were injured. Emergency services said 10 people in total were injured in the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia struck civilian infrastructure in Lozova with more than 25 drones, damaging a depot and a station. Ukraine's air force downed 29 of 46 drones launched by Russia across the country overnight, according to its statement on Telegram. One ballistic missile and 17 drones struck various locations, it said. Reuters could not independently verify the reports of casualties and damage. There was no immediate comment from Russia.
Irish Independent
43 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
American Eagle's stock soars after Trump weighs in on Sydney Sweeney ad furore
Conversations around the clothing brand's punny 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' ad campaign have consumed the internet, so much so that the president gave his two cents on the matter Monday morning. Since then, the brand's stock has skyrocketed. As of Monday afternoon, the company's stock was up 2.57 points, or nearly 24pc. At 8.56 a.m. Monday, Trump praised the ad and noted the Euphoria star was a registered Republican and 'has the 'HOTTEST' ad out there,' he wrote on Truth Social. The president also took a jab at what he believed to be 'WOKE,' including singer Taylor Swift, writing: 'Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be.' The company's stock started climbing, reaching 12.47 points by 10.15am. At 10.25am, Trump took down the post and reposted it with a corrected spelling of Sweeney's first name. The stock has continued to rise since. The president first weighed in on the ad campaign Sunday. 'She's a registered Republican?' the president asked while speaking to reporters. 'Now I love her ad.' In one video, the blonde-haired blue-eyed actress, wearing an all-denim getup, looks at the camera and says: 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour.' She adds: 'My jeans are blue.' With a pun on the word 'genes,' the narrator then says: 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.' The wordplay is at the heart of the online backlash. Critics say the ad's word choices evoke the language of eugenics – the racist and discredited belief that the human race can be improved through selective breeding. American Eagle has defended the ad campaign. It 'is and always was about the jeans,' the retailer said in a statement Friday. 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way,' the statement continued. 'Great jeans look good on everyone.' Sweeney has yet to make a public statement on the matter. Some social media users have claimed that Trump is commenting on the internet debate to latch onto the latest distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein files after the Justice Department issued a memo related to the late sex offender's case last month. But much to the disappointment of many, the memo contained no new revelations. The DOJ confirmed that Epstein died by suicide and said there was no evidence to support the existence of a 'client list' of high profile individuals involved in his alleged sex trafficking scheme. 'When it comes to identifying a distraction from a real issue, we have a current object lesson: Sydney Sweeney = Distraction Jeffrey Epstein = Real issue,' Sarah Longwell, a GOP political strategist and founder of the conservative news site The Bulwark, wrote on X. 'The thing I like most about Sydney Sweeney is that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files,' another X user wrote Monday. 'Donald Trump is posting about Sydney Sweeney and Taylor Swift because he doesn't want to talk about the fact that he's in the Epstein files, doesn't want to talk about rising prices, and doesn't want to talk about the job market being the worst it's been since the last time he was president,' another wrote. 'It's all distraction politics. Don't take the bait.' A chunk of the MAGA base, and politicians on both sides of the aisle, along with others, have demanded heightened transparency around the Epstein case. Although Trump has denied that his name was in the files, the Wall Street Journal reported that DOJ officials told the president in May that his name, among many others, had appeared. Being named in the files does not suggest any wrongdoing. The president is suing the Journal and its owners for $10 billion over an article published in the newspaper that claimed he drew a sexually suggestive birthday card for Epstein in 2003. Trump has denied he drew the card.
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
In a Ukrainian maternity ward a Russian missile delivered death
The hospital was full of patients: other expecting mothers, women who had just given birth and their newborns. Diana (23) and her husband, Oleksandr (27), tried for a year for this baby – a boy they had already named Damir. When she started experiencing extreme pain in her lower abdomen, they weren't taking any chances. But early on Tuesday, Diana called Oleksandr, who goes by Sasha, in a panic. A Russian missile had just torn through the building across the street. Diana stayed on the phone as she ran downstairs for cover. Then the second missile hit. Sasha heard Diana's phone fall. The line stayed connected, but she stopped speaking. It was after 2am. Sasha, who was 25 minutes away at home in the village of Auly, rushed to the hospital by car. Someone told him two pregnant women had been wounded and a third had already died. He frantically checked two ambulances for Diana. Then he saw a body on the ground near the entrance, covered with a sheet. Diana's green slippers were on the feet poking out from underneath. Sasha collapsed next to her and her pooling blood, which he can still smell, and started to scream. There had been no time to try to save the baby. 'We were waiting for a son and then in one minute, the ... Russians,' he said, using an expletive, his voice trailing off as he described the horrific scene. 'And they were killed.' Russia launched the missiles at Kamianske, a busy city in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, hours after US president Donald Trump announced he would give Russia 10 to 12 days to agree to a ceasefire before imposing new sanctions. Locals said the strikes were probably targeting the first building that was hit, a former medical dispensary that they said was well-known as a makeshift military base. Soldiers used it, they said, despite the maternity hospital working next door. The presence of the hospital also did not stop Russia from firing missiles indiscriminately into the centre of the city. Washington Post reporters found several military uniforms and piles of supplies in the remnants of that damaged building, which sat about 220 yards from the hospital. A sign on the door warned visitors to turn their phones on airplane mode, a common rule at military sites. A pile of dusty drone controllers sat outside. A handful of soldiers at the scene on Thursday, mostly in civilian clothes, denied it had been used as a base. They said it was a warehouse for non-lethal supplies. Only one said he was there when the missiles hit. Ukrainian military officials did not respond to requests for comment. Last Friday, the Russian defence ministry bragged that between July 26 and August 1, it struck several high-value military targets, including warehouses and drone workshops. Under international conventions on war, military personnel are required to avoid placing military objects near civilian infrastructure or in heavily populated areas. The conventions also ban attacks that place civilians at disproportionate risk of harm. 'I wouldn't dare bring her to the maternity ward if I knew there were soldiers near there,' Diana's mother, Lina Dranko, said after her funeral. 'I would have brought doctors to our home.' Sasha and Diana met in 2019 – he just home from his mandatory military service, she a new and pretty face on a visit to her mother's native village. After weeks of sharing walks and kisses, Sasha told her he wanted to celebrate one month of dating. 'We're dating?' she replied. It was October 25. The next year, he proposed on the same day – the ring a perfect fit because he had tested it on his little finger, which he knew was the right size. On September 25, 2021, they legally married. When Russia invaded on February 24, 2022, they both felt moved to perform a church wedding to consecrate their vows. The local priest told them they failed to complete mandatory rituals, including a brief fasting period. 'We said, 'Come on, it's war',' Sasha recalled. The priest gave in, and they had their second wedding ceremony the next day. As war raged across Ukraine and Russian forces advanced toward the Dnipropetrovsk region where Sasha and Diana lived, the couple tried to maintain a simple village life. Their parents helped them buy a small house, which they started renovating. Diana worked in the local grocery store, where she befriended soldiers posted to the area. Sasha continued work at the nearby steel factory. They weighed the risks of having a baby during wartime against their dream of a family. The dream won out. Six months ago, they cheered and cried when two pink lines appeared on a rapid test. They tucked the stick away in a plastic envelope for safekeeping. 'It was the happiest moment of our lives,' Sasha said. Diana began filming her belly as it grew – smiling for the camera as she ran her hands over her bump. On July 31, Diana's family placed her hands over her bump for the last time. She lay in a wooden coffin in the centre of the same room where she had filmed herself dreaming of motherhood. Sasha pressed his face to hers. Her mother, Lina, bent over her belly. Other relatives – her sister, Karina, her father, Anatolii, her nephew, Daniil – took turns caressing her face. They whispered to her and Damir, wishing them farewell. The car seat, the wooden crib, the tiny mattress decorated with the words 'It's a boy' sat in the next room. Four men carried the coffin outside, where hundreds of people were waiting, weeping, holding each other. A priest started Diana's funeral rites. The crowd followed to the cemetery. In the last moments before they covered the coffin, Lina wailed. 'I don't want to say goodbye.' 'You dreamed of having this baby.' 'I should have protected you.' They covered Diana and lowered her to the ground. The cross listed her name, birthday and death date. Below, it showed Damir's name with only a death date – he was never born. One woman became so distressed she was taken away by ambulance. Everyone else lined up to toss a handful of dirt on Diana's coffin. Then the grave diggers took out shovels to finish. At the sombre lunch reception just after, Lina looked at the room full of family and friends. 'We wish we had this gathering for Damir's baptism instead of this,' she said through tears. Outside, Sasha wept as he clutched his friend. He told him he had visited Diana hours before, then went home to clean the house for her return the next day. 'She was so scared. She was calling to say she was scared. She wanted me to be there,' he said. 'I wasn't there.' 'All I cleaned was for nothing – no one needs it. I don't need that house. I just need her. 'I really love her,' he sobbed. 'I had a reason to live – now I don't. I'm walking, but I'm not here.' His little sister Viktoriia, who is 20, leaned into his side, wrapping her arms around him.
