 "'Let them sail': Russian lawmaker shrugs off Trump's nuclear sub threat")
A senior Russian lawmaker has said that Russia has enough nuclear submarines at sea to handle any potential threat from the two US subs ordered into position by President Donald Trump, news agency PTI reported.
Viktor Vodolatsky, a member of the Russian Parliament (Duma), told state news agency TASS that there is no need for a response from Russia to Trump's decision. "The number of Russian nuclear submarines in the world's oceans is significantly higher than the American ones, and the subs that US President Donald Trump ordered to be redirected to the appropriate regions have long been under their control,” he said. “So no response from the Russian Federation to the American leader's statement about the submarines is required."
Vodolatsky also said: “Let the two US subs sail, they have been in the crosshairs for a long time now.”
He further stressed the need for a diplomatic agreement: "A fundamental agreement that must be concluded between Russia and America so that the whole world calms down and stops talking about the beginning of World War III."
Trump orders US nuclear submarines on alert
On Friday, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that he had ordered the movement of two US nuclear submarines to “appropriate regions”. He said the decision was in response to what he described as “extremely provocative statements” made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council.
In his post, Trump wrote: “Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev... 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," he added.
Russian minister backs peaceful approach, warns against direct conflict
Responding to comments made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a Fox News interview, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed the US position that a direct military clash with Russia must be avoided. “We wholeheartedly concur with this position. Such shared understanding has been facilitated through constructive Russian-American dialogue,” Lavrov said.
“While Europeans are hysterically pushing for Ukraine's integration into NATO... Marco Rubio recently reaffirmed a responsible stance, explicitly stating that a direct military confrontation between the United States and Russia must be avoided," he said.
Trump slams Medvedev, India and Russia
In another post on Thursday, Trump attacked both India and Russia, calling them “dead economies” and suggesting they could “take their dead economies down together”. He also criticised Medvedev. “Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way. Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!” Trump said.
In response, Medvedev dismissed Trump's remarks, saying they showed nervousness. “If some words from the former president of Russia cause such a nervous reaction from the supposedly mighty president of the US, then Russia is doing everything right,” he wrote on Telegram.
He also reminded Trump of Russia’s Cold War-era nuclear capability, designed to retaliate even if the country’s leadership were destroyed in a first strike. Mocking Trump’s interest in pop culture, Medvedev added: “He should remember his favourite films about ‘The Walking Dead’ and think about how dangerous a ‘dead hand’ can be, even one that doesn’t exist in nature,” ending his post with a laughing emoji.
(With agency inputs)