‘We’ve Had Them in Our Crosshairs’: Russia Shrugs Off Trump’s Nuclear Submarine Move.
Russia has dismissed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of redeploying American nuclear submarines in response to recent tensions, saying the submarines are already under Russian surveillance and pose no new threat. Viktor Vodolatsky, a senior member of Russia’s State Duma, told state news agency TASS that Moscow has sufficient nuclear submarine strength in international waters and that U.S. submarines are well within their monitoring systems.
“The number of Russian nuclear submarines in the world’s oceans is significantly higher than the American ones,” he said. “The subs that President Trump ordered to be moved have long been in our crosshairs. No further response from Russia is necessary.”
Trump had posted on Truth Social that he ordered the movement of two U.S. submarines to “appropriate regions” following what he called “extremely provocative” statements by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
“Let the two U.S. subs sail — they’ve been in the crosshairs for a long time now,” Vodolatsky added, urging instead for a “fundamental agreement” between Washington and Moscow to calm global fears of World War III.
Analysts: Trump Being Trump
Russian foreign policy analyst Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs, cautioned against reading too much into Trump’s post, calling it emotional and impulsive. “Trump runs his own platform and reacts spontaneously. I think the U.S. Navy likely read his statement with great surprise,” he said on RBC TV. “Unless Trump keeps escalating, it’s just rhetoric for now.”
Markets Dip, Diplomats Urge Restraint
Trump’s remarks appeared to impact markets as well — the Moscow Exchange index fell nearly 1% on Friday evening following the post.
Amid the heated words, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed the need for de-escalation, saying Russia agrees with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent comment that a direct military conflict must be avoided. “While Europe is pushing Ukraine’s NATO integration, Secretary Rubio reaffirmed the importance of avoiding direct confrontation. We fully agree,” Lavrov said, adding that Russian-American dialogue has helped foster that understanding.
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