'Russia stunned into silence' by Donald Trump's nuclear subs move
Russia has been left seemingly speechless after US President Donald Trump's decision to deploy two nuclear submarines in response to Moscow's rhetoric. The move, which saw the subs dispatched to "in appropriate regions" came after "foolish and inflammatory statements" by Russia 's ex-President Dmitry Medvedev.
Mr Trump refrained from disclosing the exact location of the submarines or clarifying if they were nuclear-powered or armed.
BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg reported a lack of immediate response from Russian officials, noting on BBC News: "Interestingly, there has been no reaction so far from the Kremlin, from the Foreign Ministry, from the Defence Ministry - anyone here, really.
"I think everyone is trying to work out what on earth is going on and what, if anything, has changed in relations to where these nuclear subs are being positioned."
Rosenberg observed that the announcement had unsettled Moscow's stock market, following over three years of "bombastic and provocative" commentary from Medvedev, reports the Express.
He further noted: "There has been reactions from the Moscow stock market, which has fallen sharply. Judging by the reactions in the local media here, Russians are surprised to say the least by President Trump's post.
"I suspect that nobody is more surprised than Dmitry Medvedev himself, because for more than three years he has been tweeting and posting some very bombastic and provocative social media posts - most of which have gone unnoticed, I have to say.
"But now suddenly he has been noticed and he has gone under the skin of the President of the United States in a big way."
Mr Trump revealed the submarine deployment on his Truth Social platform.
He posted: "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, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.
"Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!".
This followed Medvedev's warning to the US president about Russia's Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities that could be deployed as a final option.
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