Kremlin spokesman says Russia is "very cautious" about nuclear weapons statements

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia is "very cautious" about any statements related to nuclear issues. He made this comment after US President Donald Trump ordered two nuclear submarines to be moved closer to Russia in response to remarks made by Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev.

Source: Russian news agency Interfax

Quote: "American submarines are already on combat duty. This is a continuous process. That is the first point. In general, of course, we would not like to be drawn into such polemics and would prefer not to comment on this. 

We treat any statements concerning nuclear issues with great caution. You know that Russia holds a responsible position, and President Putin’s position is well known. [N.B. Ukrainska Pravda does not recognise Putin as president – ed.]

Russia is very attentive to nuclear non-proliferation. We believe that everyone must be extremely careful with nuclear rhetoric."

Details: Commenting on Medvedev’s statements, Peskov said that "in every country, members of the leadership may hold different views on current events. There are people in the US and European countries who are very hardline, so this is always the case."

Peskov stressed that what matters most is Putin’s position: "In our country, foreign policy is defined by the head of state – President Putin."

Peskov was asked whether the Kremlin intended to advise Medvedev to tone down his statements on foreign policy.

Medvedev himself wrote on social media on 31 July that "if some words of the former Russian president [Medvedev] provoke such a nervous reaction in such a formidable US president, it means that Russia is right in everything and will continue on its path".

Following Trump’s decision regarding the nuclear submarines, Medvedev has not posted anything further.

Background:

• Trump announced that the United States will begin imposing tariffs and resorting to other measures against Russia within 10 days unless Moscow demonstrates progress in ending the war in Ukraine.
• Medvedev said that Trump was playing a game of ultimatums with Russia. He also stated that each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war, specifying that it would not be a war between Russia and Ukraine, but with the US.
• In response, the US president said that Medvedev should "watch his words", as his remarks are "entering very dangerous territory".
• On 1 August, Trump ordered the relocation of two nuclear submarines in case Medvedev’s provocative statements turned out to be more than just words.
• On 2 August, he announced that the submarines were already positioned closer to Russia.

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