Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia
Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, have been sparring on social media for days.
Trump's post on his Truth Social platform abruptly took that spat into the very real—and rarely publicized—sphere of nuclear forces.
'Based on the highly provocative statements,' Trump said 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.'
'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances,' the 79-year-old Republican posted.
Trump did not say in his post whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military.
But in an interview with Newsmax that aired Friday night, Trump said the submarines were 'closer to Russia.'
'We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines,' he said.
'I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that.'
Trump's remarks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had started mass producing its hypersonic nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile, and could deploy them to Belarus, a close Russian ally neighbouring Ukraine, by year-end.
The nuclear sabre-rattling came against the backdrop of a deadline set by Trump for the end of next week for Russia to take steps to ending the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions.
Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia's onslaught against its pro-Western neighbor continues to unfold at full bore.
An AFP analysis yesterday showed that Russian forces had launched a record number of drones at Ukraine in July.
Russian attacks have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians since June. A combined missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday killed 31 people, rescuers said.
Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half year invasion were 'unchanged'.
Those demands include that Ukraine abandon territory and end ambitions to join Nato.
Putin, speaking alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarusian and Russian specialists 'have chosen a place for future positions' of the Oreshnik missiles.
'Work is now underway to prepare these positions. So, most likely, we will close this issue by the end of the year,' he added.
Insults, nuclear rhetoric
The United States and Russia control the vast majority of the world's nuclear weaponry, and Washington keeps nuclear-armed submarines on permanent patrol as part of its so-called nuclear triad of land, sea and air-launched weapons.
Trump told Newsmax that Medvedev's 'nuclear' reference prompted him to reposition US nuclear submarines.
'When you mention the word 'nuclear'... my eyes light up. And I say, we better be careful, because it's the ultimate threat,' Trump said in the interview.
Medvedev had criticised Trump on his Telegram account Thursday and alluded to the 'fabled 'Dead Hand''—a reference to a highly secret automated system put in place during the Cold War to control the country's nuclear weapons.
This came after Trump had lashed out at what he called the 'dead economies' of Russia and India.
Medvedev had also harshly criticized Trump's threat of new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.
Accusing Trump of 'playing the ultimatum game,' he posted Monday on X that Trump 'should remember' that Russia is a formidable force.
Trump responded by calling Medvedev 'the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President.'
Medvedev should 'watch his words,' Trump posted at midnight in Washington on Wednesday. 'He's entering very dangerous territory!'
Medvedev is a vocal proponent of Russia's war—and generally antagonistic to relations with the West.
He served as president between 2008-2012, effectively acting as a placeholder for Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and remain in de facto power.
The one-time reformer has rebranded over the years as an avid online troller, touting often extreme versions of official Kremlin nationalist messaging.
But his influence within the Russian political system remains limited.
In Kyiv on Friday, residents held a day of mourning for the 31 people, including five children, killed the day before, most of whom were in a nine-storey apartment block torn open by a missile.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said only Putin could end the war and renewed his call for a meeting between the two leaders.
'The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia's readiness,' he wrote on X. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Factbox-Who is Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian war hawk who got under Trump's skin?
FILE PHOTO: Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council and Chairman of the United Russia political party, delivers a speech during the party's congress in Moscow, Russia, December 17, 2023. Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo (Reuters) -Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has become embroiled in a tense back-and-forth on social media that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to announce he had ordered the re-positioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines. Who is Medvedev, what is his track record and how influential is he? PRESIDENT WHO BRIEFLY RAISED HOPES IN THE WEST Medvedev was elected Russian president in 2008 when Vladimir Putin, having served two terms, was barred from standing again under the law in force at that time. Medvedev ran the Kremlin for four years, with Putin as his prime minister but widely assumed by analysts in Russia and the West to be still calling the shots, before the two swapped places after the 2012 election - a political manoeuvre that provoked opposition protests. Medvedev, the son of two university professors, had studied law and worked for a time in the private sector. Short in height and quietly spoken, he was described by contemporaries as cultured and intelligent. As president, he was seen initially in the West as a potential moderniser and reformer, prepared to work to thaw relations with the United States. In 2009 he signed the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with President Barack Obama. But Medvedev's presidency also saw Russia fight a brief war with its neighbour Georgia in 2008, and he failed to achieve his stated goals of tackling pervasive corruption, improving the rule of law in Russia, strengthening the role of civil society and rebalancing the economy to reduce its over-reliance on oil and gas production. AFTER THE KREMLIN Medvedev served as Putin's prime minister for eight years in a period in which tensions with the West escalated anew, particularly over Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. But his political fortunes took a dive when he was removed in January 2020 and replaced by Mikhail Mishustin, who has held the post ever since. Medvedev was shunted into a new role as deputy chairman of the Security Council, a powerful body that includes the heads of Russia's intelligence services. WAR CHEERLEADER After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Medvedev carved out a new role for himself as an arch-hawk and full-throated champion of the war, hurling aggressive rhetoric at Kyiv and the West and warning repeatedly of the risk of a nuclear "apocalypse". In May 2024 he said it would be a "fatal mistake" on the part of the West to think that Russia was not ready to use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine. He also spoke of the potential to strike unnamed hostile countries with strategic nuclear weapons. His statements - including personal attacks on foreign leaders - were frequently designed to shock, insult and provoke. He referred to Ukrainians as "cockroaches", in language Kyiv condemned as openly genocidal, and called President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a criminal, a drug addict, a louse, a rat and a freak. In January 2023, he accused Japan's prime minister of shameful subservience to the United States and suggested he should ritually disembowel himself. Russian opposition figures have dismissed Medvedev's outpourings as sad, impotent rants. However, some Western diplomats say they give a flavour of the thinking in Kremlin policy-making circles. Until now, they have rarely provoked a direct response from Western leaders. SPAT WITH TRUMP That changed last month when Trump rebuked Medvedev and accused him of throwing around the "N" word after the Russian criticised U.S. air strikes on Iran and said "a number of countries" were ready to supply Iran with nuclear warheads. When Trump imposed a deadline on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine or face further sanctions, including on buyers of its exports, Medvedev accused him of playing a "game of ultimatums" and moving a step closer to war between Russia and the U.S. Trump retorted: "Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President, to watch his words. He's entering very dangerous territory!" Medvedev waded in again last Thursday, saying Trump's "nervous reaction" showed Russia was on the right course and referring again to Moscow's nuclear capabilities. Trump delivered his statement the following day on posting U.S. nuclear submarines in "the appropriate regions", since when Medvedev has not posted again. (Reporting by Mark Trevelyan in London; editing by Mark Heinrich)
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Trump's 'America First' may fuel global currency shift
EUROPE and Asia could leverage United States President Donald Trump's "America First" strategy for their own benefit, eventually spurring the development of regional tripolar foreign exchange (forex) blocs that could erode the dominance of the US dollar and reshape global markets. The US dollar has struggled this year, especially since Trump's April 2 tariff announcement. While the currency jumped recently following the announcement of US-European Union trade deal, this short-term move doesn't change the long-term trends that could undermine the greenback's position. Economic dominance in the future could largely depend on access to affordable, efficient energy to power artificial intelligence technologies. And in the race to dominate the industries of the future, the US is arguably going in reverse. It's retreating from the renewables space, as seen in the administration's recent move to eliminate many clean energy subsidies. The president appears to be making the bet that the US can maintain energy dominance indefinitely by relying on its own fossil fuel resources. This could ultimately result in uncompetitive power costs in the future, given that China is already dominating in clean energy technologies like solar and electric vehicles. While Trump may be seeking to enhance American self-sufficiency, the administration's policies may actually be increasing the country's dependency on foreign capital. Trump's recently passed budget bill — which looks pretty ugly to fiscal watchdogs despite its name — could cement the US' position as the world's biggest capital importer by adding an expected US$3.4 trillion to the US deficit over the next decade, according to estimates by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, potentially locking in six to seven per cent budget deficits for years. The US has also been running current account deficits of roughly four per cent over the past several years, and this widened to six per cent of gross domestic product in the first quarter, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. By spending beyond its means and running these twin deficits, the US will continue to require large amounts of foreign capital inflows. But this capital may soon be harder to come by, if Europe and Asia seek to keep more of it closer to home. While Europe has agreed to increase US energy purchases through the recently announced US trade deal, much of that agreement remains up in the air. Meanwhile, Asia has begun to trade more internally, as China has been focusing on export diversification. A growing regionalisation of supply chains began during the Covid-19 pandemic and appears to be accelerating as Trump seeks to drive production back to the US and all major global powers focus on securing regional raw material access (e.g., rare earths and other critical minerals) for national security purposes. This shift could eventually create the foundation for true regional forex blocs across Asia, Europe and the Americas. Within Asia, Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People's Bank of China, has recently highlighted China's interest in having the yuan play a larger role in a multi-polar currency world. While China's capital account remains closed, Asian currencies already primarily trade off the yuan rather than the US dollar. Even though China faces challenges, such as its fight against deflation, its efforts on this front — namely, boosting consumption and reining in excess supply, especially in the renewable energy space across solar, wind and batteries — could ultimately help attract more foreign capital by boosting China's growth profile and corporate earnings. In a world of currency blocs, Europe and Asia could emerge as potential winners, as they erode the US' position as the world's financial powerhouse. So while many investors may get lost in the short-term currency noise, it might be wise to instead focus on the long-term signal.
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
World economies reel from Trump's tariffs punch
ASIA/SOUTH-EAST ASIA (AFP): Global markets reeled at the weekend after President Donald Trump's tariffs barrage against nearly all US trading partners as governments looked down the barrel of a seven-day deadline before higher duties take effect. Trump announced late Thursday that dozens of economies, including the European Union, will face new tariff rates of between 10 and 41 per cent. However, implementation will be on August 7 rather than Friday as previously announced, the White House said. This gives governments a window to rush to strike deals with Washington setting more favorable conditions. Neighboring Canada, one of the biggest US trade partners, was hit with 35 percent levies, up from 25 percent, effective Friday -- but with wide-ranging, current exemptions remaining in place. The tariffs are a demonstration of raw economic power that Trump sees putting US exporters in a stronger position, while encouraging domestic manufacturing by keeping out foreign imports. But the muscular approach has raised fears of inflation and other economic fallout in the world's biggest economy. Stock markets in Hong Kong, London and New York slumped as they digested the turmoil, while weak US employment data added to worries. Trump's actions come as debate rages over how best to steer the US economy, with the Federal Reserve this week deciding to keep interest rates unchanged, despite massive political pressure from the White House to cut. Data Friday showed US job growth missing expectations for July, while unemployment ticked up to 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 dropped 1.6 percent, while the Nasdaq tumbled 2.2 percent. - Political goals - Trump raised duties on around 70 economies, from a current 10 percent level imposed in April when he unleashed "reciprocal" tariffs citing unfair trade practices. The new, steeper levels listed in an executive order vary by trading partner. Any goods "transshipped" through other jurisdictions to avoid US duties would be hit with an additional 40 percent tariff, the order said. But Trump's duties also have a distinctly political flavor, with the president using separate tariffs to pressure Brazil to drop the trial of his far-right ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro. He also warned of trade consequences for Canada, which faces a different set of duties, after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. In targeting Canada, the White House cited its failure to "cooperate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs" -- although Canada is not a major source of illegal narcotics. By contrast, Trump gave more time to Mexico, delaying for 90 days a threat to increase its tariffs from 25 percent to 30 percent. But exemptions remain for a wide range of Canadian and Mexican goods entering the United States under an existing North American trade pact. Carney said his government was "disappointed" with the latest rates hike but noted that with exclusions the US average tariff on Canadian goods remains one of the lowest among US trading partners. - 'Tears up' rule book - With questions hanging over the effectiveness of bilateral trade deals struck -- including with the EU and Japan -- the outcome of Trump's overall plan remains uncertain. "No doubt about it -- the executive order and related agreements concluded over the past few months tears up the trade rule book that has governed international trade since World War II," said Wendy Cutler, senior vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute. On Friday, Trump said he would consider distributing a tariff "dividend" to Americans. Notably excluded from Friday's drama was China, which is in the midst of negotiations with the United States. Washington and Beijing at one point brought tit-for-tat tariffs to triple-digit levels, but have agreed to temporarily lower these duties and are working to extend their truce. Those who managed to strike deals with Washington to avert steeper threatened levies included Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and the European Union. Among other tariff levels adjusted in Trump's latest order, Switzerland now faces a higher 39 per cent duty. - AFP
