Latest news with #DeadHand
First Post
3 days ago
- Business
- First Post
Trump, Putin Ally Exchange Turns To Nuclear Rhetoric Amid Tariff Tensions Firstpost America
Trump, Putin Ally Exchange Turns To Nuclear Rhetoric Amid Tariff Tensions | Firstpost America | N18G A tense standoff unfolds as US President Donald Trump and Russia's Dmitry Medvedev clash over the Ukraine war. Trump issued a stark 10-day ultimatum demanding a Russian ceasefire, or face sweeping tariffs, though he admitted these might or might not impact Russia. In response, Medvedev, now a top Kremlin official, mocked Trump's deadline and revived chilling Cold War imagery by referencing the infamous "Dead Hand" nuclear system. The fiery exchange quickly escalated, with Trump labeling Medvedev a "failed former president" and Medvedev taunting US lawmakers, including Senator Lindsey Graham. Beyond words, Trump's tariff threats on Russian oil buyers and allied countries like India could disrupt global trade and deepen geopolitical rifts. See More
Daily News Egypt
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Trump's Reckless Nuclear Poker: Why Is Israel Exempt from 'Peace Through Strength'?
At a time when some of the world's most dangerous decisions are made through Trump's social media platform, the lines between deterrence and political theatrics are dangerously blurred. Nuclear weapons have become bargaining chips, not last resorts. This article poses a simple yet urgent question: Why does Trump threaten Russia and Iran with force while remaining silent about Israel's actions in Gaza? Can peace be achieved through selective outrage? Can justice be built on exceptions? When power trumps principle, politics loses its meaning — and the world becomes hostage to personal whims. In a dramatic announcement that shook the international stage, President Donald Trump declared on 2 August 2025 that he had ordered the repositioning of two American nuclear submarines near Russian waters. The move was a direct response to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's veiled threat to activate the 'Dead Hand' nuclear system. Simultaneously, Trump doubled down on threats against Iran, boasting of the June strikes that targeted its Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities, and reaffirming his readiness to 'crush' any attempt by Tehran to revive its nuclear programme. Yet, amid these bold displays of nuclear brinkmanship, Trump continues to exempt his closest ally, Israel, from his 'peace through strength' doctrine. While he relentlessly threatens Russia and Iran, he opts for soft diplomatic language when it comes to Israel — even as the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens, with over 60,000 reported deaths and critical aid convoys blocked at the Rafah border crossing. Since returning to the White House, Trump has framed 'peace through strength' as the cornerstone of his foreign policy. But the way he applies this strategy reveals deep inconsistencies. He uses it as a sword against adversaries and a shield to protect friends. His threats of annihilation towards Iran, and his warnings to Russia of being 'on the edge of disaster,' contrast starkly with his message to Netanyahu: 'I will be very tough with him,' he said in July — more of a friendly nudge than a real warning. Notably, these high-stakes messages are often delivered not through formal diplomatic channels, but via his Truth Social platform — turning matters of war and peace into viral posts. This contradiction reveals a dangerous flaw in Trump's approach to deterrence: it is driven not by principle, but by political convenience. Israel, shielded by bipartisan support in Congress and a powerful pro-Israel lobby, is treated as an exception. Washington deploys submarines for Moscow and missiles for Tehran — but when it comes to Israel, even in the face of immense civilian suffering in Gaza, it sends a diplomat and offers private negotiations. Experts are raising alarms. Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists warns that Trump's nuclear manoeuvres risk creating a 'commitment trap' that could spiral into uncontrollable escalation. Daryl Kimball from the Arms Control Association calls Trump's nuclear threats 'reckless and irresponsible' — especially when announced via smartphone. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that nuclear escalation poses a global threat, while France and China continue to urge broader dialogue. The problem is not just a double standard — it is the message it sends to the world: that accountability depends on alliances, not actions. And this is not just morally troubling; it is geopolitically destabilising. In Iran's case, for instance, unconditional American support for Israel is used to justify Tehran's continued backing of Hamas and Hezbollah under the banner of 'resistance'. Trump's attempts to position himself as a peacemaker — a role he often cites when referencing his past mediation between India and Pakistan — are undermined by this selective morality. His bid to broker a regional settlement starting in Gaza sounds ambitious, but without holding Israel accountable, any peace initiative is doomed from the outset. He wants credit for extinguishing a fire without naming who lit the match. Inside the United States, growing bipartisan concern surrounds Trump's nuclear posturing. Lawmakers from both parties are now pushing to require congressional approval for any future nuclear military action, disturbed by the realisation that war may now be declared from a smartphone post. Perhaps the gravest concern is that Trump appears to operate not from strategic clarity but from a 'deal-making' mindset, as if global security were a casino table. But this time, he is not gambling with dollars or prestige — he is playing with humanity's future. The real question is not whether Trump might press the nuclear button — it is when, and why. Trump's version of 'peace through strength' seems to follow a troubling logic: threaten adversaries with bombs, warn Iran of annihilation, and gently ask Israel to 'ease up'. But in the eyes of the world, this equation is unravelling. Deterrence is not only about weapons — it is about moral consistency. Without that, 'peace through strength' becomes a dangerous illusion… and a blueprint for the next global disaster. Dr Marwa El-Shinawy: Academic and Writer
Metro
5 days ago
- Politics
- Metro
Russia issues warning to 'everyone' after Trump moves nuclear submarines
Days after President Donald Trump said he deployed nuclear submarines 'in the region' of Russia, the Kremlin has issued a warning to the world. Trump said nuclear submarines are near Russia after previous threats from officials in the country. He's repeatedly given Russia an ultimatum to end the war in Ukraine soon, or face sanctions. The official deadline Trump has given Russia is August 8, but a war of words online has begun before that deadline. '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,' wrote Trump on his Truth Social platform. 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances.' After being told to 'watch his words' by Trump, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev shocked many when he reminded the US of Russia's nuclear strike capabilities. 'Remember how dangerous the fabled 'Dead Hand' can be,' Medvedev wrote on Telegram, referencing Soviet-era Doomsday nuclear weapons. Now, the Kremlin has issued an official statement after Trump said nuclear submarines had been moved towards their country: 'Russia is very attentive to nuclear non-proliferation. We believe that everyone must be extremely careful with nuclear rhetoric.' But former Russian president Medvedev himself has threatened nuclear war if Russia loses the war in Ukraine. 'It doesn't occur to any of the wretches to draw the following elementary conclusion: That the loss of a nuclear power in a conventional war could provoke a nuclear war,' he said in 2023. 'Nuclear powers have not lost major conflicts on which their fate depends. And this should be obvious to anyone.' Though the Kremlin has claimed 'everyone' must be careful with nuclear rhetoric, they themselves haven't been. On state-funded television, hosts have openly threatened nuclear attacks on Britain and other Western countries. 'The people of Britain are there, they also want to live a good and happy life at our expense, right? But if there is no Britain, there is no problem,' Reservist general and hardline MP Andrei Gurulev previously said. In the face of these increasing threats, the US president's tone toward Russia in recent weeks has changed to a more aggressive and far less friendly. In July, when asked if he was done with Putin, Trump said: 'I'm disappointed in him, but I'm not done with him. But I'm disappointed in him.' More Trending And when pressed on whether he trusts the Russian leader, he replied: 'I trust almost no one.' Trump then said that the first lady was among the people who convinced him to change his tune toward Putin. '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. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Donald Trump rushes to Sydney Sweeney's defence after voting controversy MORE: Russian TikTokkers 'arrested for taking selfies outside oil depot inferno' MORE: Risk and reward, Trump's Mini-Me and planting trees for the planet
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump deploys nuclear submarines amid tension with Russia
Trump ordered two nuclear submarines to the "appropriate region" on Aug. 1 after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev referenced Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities in a social media post that heightened tension with the U.S. leader. The dispute stemmed from Trump's ultimatum to Russia last month: make peace with Ukraine or brace for sanctions and secondary tariffs aimed at choking off the country's oil revenue. He gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a 50 day-deadline, which he later revised to Aug. 8. Trump offers Putin an ultimatum: Senate pressure builds to sanction Russia The president told reporters on Aug. 3 that if the deadline arrives and Russia has not agreed to a ceasefire, "there'll be sanctions." "But they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions," he added. "You know, they're wily characters. ... So we'll see what happens." Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff had been expected to visit Russia before the deadline, but the president signaled to reporters that trip had not yet taken place. He said Witkoff is currently focused on addressing starvation in Gaza, but could go to Russia later in the week. Trump says he ordered 2 nuclear subs: They're heading to 'appropriate regions' after Russia nuclear threats The president stressed the need for a deal in Ukraine in which people stop being killed. "And now we're adding towns, where they're being hit by missiles," Trump said. Medvedev serves as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council. He said in a July 28 post on X that Trump should remember that "each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country." Trump hit back in a Truth Social post that said: "Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President, to watch his words. He's entering very dangerous territory!" After Medvedev said Trump should remember "how dangerous the fabled 'Dead Hand' can be," in a post on the messaging app Telegram that referenced the Soviet Union's doomsday nuclear system, the U.S. president said he would reposition the submarines. Calling the comments "highly provocative," Trump said on Truth Social that he was taking action, "just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that."
News18
6 days ago
- Business
- News18
Decoding Trump's Tariff Threats To India: Fuelled By Sour Putin Ties, Frustration Over Ukraine?
Experts say Trump's attack on India has less to do with oil and more with Putin, a show of frustration over his failed Ukraine ceasefire bid, with New Delhi caught in the crossfire When US President Donald Trump lashed out at India on Monday, accusing it of buying Russian oil, profiting from war, and turning a blind eye to Ukrainian deaths, it raised more questions than it answered. Why would a close partner like India face such blunt accusations? Why now, and why in such stark moral terms? According to analysts, the answer may lie not in New Delhi but in Moscow. The real trigger, they suggest, could be the collapse of Trump's diplomatic outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the looming pressure of a self-imposed ultimatum. Trump had returned to office in January 2025 with a bold promise: that he would end the Ukraine war 'within one week." But after months of fruitless backchannel efforts and shifting timelines, he publicly set August 8 as the final date for a ceasefire deal. With that deadline now days away and no signs of Russian cooperation, his frustration appears to be spilling over. India, analysts say, could now be the proxy target. 'If Putin were not ignoring Trump's calls to stop waging war in Ukraine, Trump likely would not be going after India so hard for buying Russian oil," said Michael Kugelman, a Washington DC-based South Asia analyst. 'He's clearly taking his frustration with Putin out on India." pique-at-Putin factor," he said, referring to the idea that Trump's anger at Putin for ignoring his ceasefire push is being redirected at India, one of Moscow's most visible oil customers. In the early days of his second term, Trump appeared confident. He reopened channels with Russia, sent his envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow four times, and made friendly overtures. The US under Trump even blocked a UN resolution condemning Russian aggression. Russian media cheered the shift. In one meeting, Putin gifted Witkoff a portrait of Trump, a symbol of how far the optics had moved from hostility to accommodation. But Trump's real goal, an immediate ceasefire, proved elusive. In late July, after months of fruitless outreach to Moscow, he publicly set August 8 as a hard deadline for Russia to halt hostilities in Ukraine, slashing an earlier 50-day window to just ten days. As the deadline neared, his rhetoric turned sharply hostile: he began describing Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities as 'disgusting" and 'disgraceful," and warned of sweeping sanctions and secondary tariffs on nations trading with Moscow. Then came a flashpoint. After Trump called Russia and India 'dead economies", former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hit back with a nuclear-laced taunt, mocking Trump's 'walking dead" rhetoric and warning of the 'Dead Hand," a Cold War-era automated retaliation system. Within hours, Trump responded by ordering two US nuclear submarines to deploy to undisclosed 'appropriate regions." Though unrelated to the ceasefire plan, the move marked a symbolic escalation. From public threats to military signalling, Trump was now visibly pivoting to a harder anti-Russia posture, driven by a mix of diplomatic frustration and personal provocation. Despite these provocations, Putin showed no signs of backing down. Kremlin-linked media began portraying the US-Russia dynamic as a standoff with no off-ramp. A Russian tabloid, Moskovsky Komsomolets, described it as a collision between two unstoppable trains: 'The Trump locomotive and the Putin locomotive are speeding towards each other. And neither is about to turn off or stop and reverse." The August 4 Outburst Trump's August 4 post on Truth Social marked a turning point. It went beyond economic grievance and accused India of moral complicity. He wrote: 'India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then… selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA." This came just days after he had imposed a 25 per cent blanket tariff on Indian exports and described India as 'our friend" but with tariffs that were 'far too high." The tone had quickly pivoted from pressure to punishment. Experts believe this escalation is tied to Trump's crumbling Russia strategy. With the August 8 ceasefire deadline approaching, and no movement from Putin, India, despite being neither a belligerent nor a negotiator in the war, has become a convenient scapegoat. India's Response The Indian government responded swiftly. In a rare six-point statement, the Ministry of External Affairs dismantled Trump's narrative. It pointed out that India only increased oil imports from Russia after traditional suppliers redirected their shipments to Europe, and that this shift had the explicit encouragement of the US, which at the time was trying to stabilise global oil markets. More significantly, India called out the West's double standards. The European Union, the statement noted, traded goods worth €67.5 billion with Russia in 2024, far more than India's total. The US itself continues to import Russian uranium, palladium, and fertilisers. 'The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable," the statement said, asserting that India would 'take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security." The government also denied Trump's claim that India was profiteering from oil by reselling it globally. Ajay Srivastava, a former trade official and co-founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative, said that the accusation was not supported by any credible evidence. 'India's refineries, both public and private, buy based on price, logistics and security," he explained. 'There is no government mandate to buy Russian oil, nor proof of strategic resale to third parties." Strategic Experts Back India's Stand India's sharp response has found backing from key foreign policy voices. Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal wrote on X that 'India has issued this statement that explains the rationale of its decision to buy oil from Russia and the hypocrisy and double standards of the US and Europe… India is conveying that it will not cow down to threats." Strategic affairs analyst Brahma Chellaney called Trump's behaviour erratic and dangerous. 'With his scorched-earth tariff policies and disdain for norms, Trump is a bull in the geopolitical china shop. Dealing with him is a challenge for any country—even more so for risk-averse India." Chellaney added that the irony is glaring: while the West criticises India for buying Russian oil, it continues sending far more money to Moscow through its own trade, even as it fuels a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Is This Really About Oil, Or About Trump's Image? Beyond the data and diplomacy, this episode may ultimately be about Trump's political credibility. His promise to end the Ukraine war quickly gave him a narrative advantage. But with no ceasefire, no diplomatic win, and Putin openly defying his timelines, Trump's frustration is now playing out in trade policy. Rather than hitting Russia with further penalties, which could undermine his earlier stance of engagement, he is using India as a pressure valve, analysts say. His inner circle, including Stephen Miller and other senior aides, have repeated the 'India is funding the war" line on US television, reinforcing that this narrative may be part of a broader deflection strategy. Caught In The Crossfire Of A Broken Promise India didn't start the war in Ukraine. It has taken no sides, issued no ultimatums, and positioned itself as a buyer in a volatile energy market. Yet it now finds itself accused of indifference to war, profiteering, and moral failure, not because of its actions, but because Trump's dealmaking with Putin has stalled. top videos View all The strategic partnership between India and the US is unlikely to collapse over tariffs or oil. But the current rhetoric marks a serious departure from the measured tone that usually defines bilateral ties. It also raises questions about how far Trump is willing to go to salvage a promise he may not be able to keep. With August 8 now looming, and Steve Witkoff returning to Moscow for what could be a last-ditch effort at a deal, one thing may be clear: Trump's war of words with India is not about Delhi's policies, it's about Washington's failures. About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @ More Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : donald trump India-US relations us-russia ties view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: August 05, 2025, 09:41 IST News explainers Decoding Trump's Tariff Threats To India: Fuelled By Sour Putin Ties, Frustration Over Ukraine? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
