The Kremlin has downplayed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to reposition two nuclear submarines closer to Russian waters, stating that Moscow does not wish to engage in political polemics over the matter.
In the first official response since Trump’s remarks last Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that U.S. submarines are regularly on combat duty, and rejected claims that the move signaled an escalation.
“These are extremely complex and sensitive matters that many people understandably perceive with strong emotion,” Peskov noted. He also urged all parties to exercise “great caution” when invoking nuclear rhetoric.
According to Russian media, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to visit Moscow on Wednesday, as part of Trump’s ongoing diplomatic pressure campaign aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
#1Medvedev’s Provocative Statement Sparks U.S. Reaction
Last week, Trump ordered the repositioning of two nuclear submarines to what he called “appropriate regions” in response to “highly provocative” statements by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. While Trump did not clarify whether the submarines were nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed, his comments sparked international attention.
Medvedev — known in recent years for his increasingly extreme online rhetoric — accused Trump of “playing the ultimatum game” with Russia after the U.S. set a hard deadline for a Ukraine ceasefire.
While not naming Medvedev directly, Peskov said Monday that in every country, different members of leadership may express differing views, but Russia’s foreign policy is “defined solely by President Vladimir Putin.”
Medvedev has not publicly responded to Trump’s remarks and has remained inactive on X (formerly Twitter) since posting his contentious message.
#2Tensions Rise, but Diplomatic Channels Remain Open
Although U.S.-Russia relations improved significantly when Trump assumed office in January, the U.S. President has recently expressed doubts about Putin’s commitment to peace, citing continued aggression in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022.
Now, Trump has set August 8 as a final deadline for Russia to reach a peace agreement, threatening severe tariffs on Russian oil and other exports if Moscow fails to comply.
Despite mounting tensions, Washington and Moscow remain in communication, with the Kremlin expressing a positive stance on Witkoff’s upcoming visit, calling it “welcome and useful.”
#3Tensions Mount as Trump Warns of New Sanctions; Witkoff Visit Could Signal Diplomatic Shift
“We are always happy to see Mr. Witkoff in Moscow. We consider such contact important, meaningful, and useful,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, hinting at a potential meeting between Steve Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin during the envoy's upcoming visit.
However, should a ceasefire not be achieved by August 8, President Donald Trump has threatened to implement severe sanctions and secondary tariffs on Russia, aimed at deterring third-party countries from engaging in trade with Moscow.
Russia's Sanctions Evasion and Trump’s Global Warning
Trump acknowledged that Russia—currently the most sanctioned country in the world—has become “pretty good at avoiding sanctions.” In a rare rebuke of India's foreign policy, Trump took to Truth Social, his own platform, to accuse New Delhi of turning a blind eye to the death toll in Ukraine, writing that India “does not care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine.” He also pledged to “substantially” increase U.S. tariffs on Indian imports due to its continued purchases of Russian oil.
Stalled Peace Talks and Clashing Conditions
Despite three rounds of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since spring, no progress has been made. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently reaffirmed Moscow's central war aim: to eliminate the root causes of the crisis in Ukraine and guarantee Russia’s national security.
However, Russia’s hardline preconditions for peace — including Ukraine declaring neutrality, dramatically reducing its military, and permanently abandoning NATO ambitions — remain unacceptable to both Kyiv and its Western allies.
Escalating Violence on the Ground
Meanwhile, the violence continues to escalate. Overnight between Sunday and Monday, Russian missile strikes in the Zaporizhzhia region killed four civilians, and another person died in Kherson. Just days earlier, a devastating assault on Kyiv resulted in at least 31 deaths and 159 injuries — one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent months.
Ukraine has also intensified its counter-offensive operations. On Monday, Ukrainian forces claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a Russian airbase in occupied Crimea, reporting the destruction of one fighter jet and damage to several others.
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