Vietnam, Russia agree to quickly sign nuclear power plant deal
"The development of the plants with advanced technology will strictly be compliant with nuclear and radiation safety regulations and for the benefit of socio-economic development," they said in the statement, which was dated Sunday and followed a visit to Moscow by Vietnamese leader To Lam.
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Telegraph
7 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Trump's reckless nuclear performance is high-stakes but low cost
In normal times, this would be an extraordinary, epoch-changing and terror-inducing moment. Not even during the Cold War did a US president publicly move nuclear submarines towards Russian waters. Never before has a US leader chosen to engage in nuclear brinkmanship of this kind. True, the Soviet Union famously triggered a nuclear showdown in 1962 by moving nuclear warheads to within 90 miles of the US shoreline during the Cuban Missile Crisis. For 13 days, the world feared Armageddon. But given Donald Trump 's quixotic style of governing, few are panicking today. A Cuban Missile Crisis Mark II, this quite patently is not. Yet, that does not mean that what the US president has just done is risk-free. He has shifted Washington's nuclear posture towards Russia in a way that none of his predecessors dared, climbing – almost casually – the first rung of the nuclear escalation ladder. Should Vladimir Putin choose to respond in kind, a major crisis could follow. That seems unlikely – a calculation Mr Trump has presumably made. In fact, he appears to be borrowing from the Russian playbook. Putin has long used nuclear posturing as a tool of coercion. During bouts of tension with the West, he has deployed Iskander missiles, capable of firing nuclear warheads, to the exclave of Kaliningrad on the border with Poland, a Nato member. In 2023, he stationed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus – the first time since the Cold War that Russia has placed nuclear weapons outside its own territory. He has also repeatedly hinted at using a tactical weapon in Ukraine. And on Friday, Putin announced that Russia had started producing Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range missiles, reaffirming plans to deploy them to Belarus this year. He boasted he had already selected sites for their deployment. In recent days, Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and now Putin's social media attack dog, who has previously rattled the nuclear sabre, warned that Mr Trump's threats could spark war between the US and Russia. Mr Trump, who has recently tempered his admiration of Putin, made it clear that he was calling Russia's bluff. In so many words, he told Moscow he was taking its threats literally rather than figuratively – an inversion of the advice his supporters usually give about him. He wrote in a social media post directed at Mr Medvedev: 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences.' Mr Trump's threat is therefore best seen as performance – high-stakes, reckless performance, but performance all the same. Other motives may be at play. In the coming days, the US president will have to unveil how he intends to counter Russia's continuing aggression in Ukraine, underscored on Friday after an attack on Kyiv killed 31 people. Secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian energy – chiefly China, India, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates – pose a major diplomatic headache. Should Mr Trump choose to retreat on these threats, he can point to the submarine deployment as proof he is serious about Russia – a strategy whose stakes are higher but costs potentially much lower than escalating tariffs on allies Washington needs for goodwill in other arenas.
BBC News
37 minutes ago
- BBC News
Putin not swayed by Trump's Ukraine war ultimatum
Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced hopes for further peace talks with Ukraine - but stressed his troops were "advancing on the entire front line", despite the threat of tougher US sanctions if a ceasefire was not agreed upon."All disappointments arise from inflated expectations," Putin said, in an apparent reference to Trump's "disappointment" with the Russian leader for not bringing an end to the a day after one of the deadliest Russian air attacks on Kyiv, he repeated his demands for Ukrainian neutrality and recognition of the occupied territories, which Ukraine views as a President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to meet Putin "any time". Speaking on Friday at the Valaam Monastery on an island in north-western Russia, Putin said he expected negotiations with Ukraine to continue, adding that he viewed "negotiations positively".But in a veiled reference to growing pressure from Ukraine and its Western allies to agree to a long-term ceasefire, he said: "As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations."Our enemies and ill-wishers... now have one fiery passion: to stop our advance [on the front line in Ukraine] at any cost".Ukraine and its allies have repeatedly accused Russia of stalling peace negotiations and rejecting any meaningful ceasefire, saying Moscow is trying to seize more Ukrainian rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, Turkey, in recent months ended without any major breakthrough. The two sides, however, agreed to swap several thousands of prisoners of shortly after Putin's comments, Zelensky questioned whether Russia was showing "serious readiness to end the war with dignity and establish a truly lasting peace" or whether it was "just an attempt to buy more time for war and postpone sanctions". In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its deadly drone and missile strikes on Thursday, at least 31 people - including five children - were killed in a Russian aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital. US President Donald Trump condemned Russia's actions, threatening new sanctions."Russia, I think it's disgusting what they're doing," he told in July Trump announced his original 50-day deadline for Russia to end the war, Putin didn't react. When that was reduced to 10-12 days, Putin said on Friday the Kremlin leader left little doubt that he would not be swayed by a White House ultimatum. Trump may claim to be "disappointed" with Putin for not making peace - but the Russian leader is guest on the Valaam island, Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, was more direct in his dismissal of Trump's deadline."50 days, 60 days, 10 days. You don't do politics like that," Lukashenko shows that, for Trump, deadlines are not set in stone. But on paper, at least, his latest deadline expires on 8 August. If by then Russia hasn't signed up to a ceasefire in Ukraine, it will face more sanctions – so in theory will countries that buy Russian judging by what the Russian state media has been saying in recent days, many in Moscow doubt the White House will go through with its threat of tougher more, from what Putin said on Friday about Russia advancing along the entire front line in Ukraine, he clearly believes a ceasefire now is not in Moscow's best officials on Friday said Kyiv had received "positive signals" from the US about potential new sanctions.A day earlier, senior US diplomat John Kelley told the UN Security Council that Russia and Ukraine "must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace"."It is time to make a deal," he special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is currently in Israel, would visit Russia next, the US president said earlier this week. He gave no further details.
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Trump orders US nuclear subs repositioned over ex-Russian leader's statements
US President Donald Trump said he is ordering the repositioning of two US nuclear submarines in a warning to Russia. The move is 'based on highly provocative statements' from the country's former president Dmitry Medvedev. Advertisement Mr Trump posted on his social media site that based on the 'highly provocative statements' from Mr Medvedev he had 'ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that'. The president added: 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.' It was not immediately clear what impact Mr Trump's order would have on US nuclear subs, which are routinely on patrol in the world's hotspots, but it comes at a delicate moment in the Trump administration's relations with Moscow. 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. Advertisement He cut his 50-day deadline for action to 10 days, with that window set to expire next week. The post about the sub repositioning came after Mr Trump, in the wee hours of Thursday morning, had posted that Mr Medvedev was a 'failed former president of Russia' and warned him to 'watch his words'. Mr Medvedev responded hours later by writing: 'Russia is right on everything and will continue to go its own way.' Mr Medvedev was president from 2008 to 2012 while Russian President Vladimir Putin was barred from seeking a second consecutive term but stepped aside to let him run again. Advertisement Now deputy chairman of Russia's National Security Council, which Mr Putin chairs, Mr Medvedev has been known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since the start of the war in 2022, a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive. He has frequently wielded nuclear threats and lobbed insults at Western leaders on social media. Some observers have argued that with his extravagant rhetoric, Mr Medvedev is seeking to score political points with Mr Putin and Russian military hawks. Mr Trump and Mr Medvedev have gotten into online spats before. Advertisement On July 15, after Mr Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via its Nato allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow, Mr Medvedev posted, 'Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care'. Earlier this week, he wrote: 'Trump's playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10″ and added, '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.'
