LOS ANGELES (OC).–Responding to nuclear threats made by Russia’s Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, 79-year-old President Donald Trump ordered U.S. submarines into an unspecified areas to serve notice that two can play the nuclear game. Trump, in his first term, traded nuclear barbs with North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un, once saying that Kim should not threaten the U.S. because it had a bigger nuclear arsenal. After exchanging barbs, Trump and Kim made friends, with Trump actually invited to visit North Korea in an historic development June 12, 2018. While Trump said he would deploy nuclear subs, he didn’t say where or whether the subs were armed with nuclear warheads. Trump doesn’t like Medvedev, who holds no official position as Prime Minister in Putin’s government, making nuclear threats against the U.S. for pushing Putin on a 30-day Ukraine ceasefire.
Trump wants Putin to take a pause on firing drones and missiles into Ukraine for a specified period while he can work with Putin and Zelensky on a lasting ceasefire. Trump’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff has met with Putin four times in the last few months to craft a ceasefire and peace plan to bring the Ukraine War to an end. Putin was gracious and open to meeting with Witkoff coming to a reasonable understanding of what Putin needed to enter into a 30-day ceasefire agreement. European Union officials have been threatening Putin with a new round of economic sanctions, something Putin vows to resist. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has his own sanctions bill in the Senate also trying to push Putin into a ceasefire agreement. Trump has been reluctant to sign on to any news sanctions fearing it would push Putin into resisting any ceasefire or peace talks.
Trump response to Medvedev came when he said that he wanted Putin to agree to a ceasefire agreement in the next 50 days for face sanctions added to China and India for buying Russian oil. “Based on the highly provocative statements of the former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, 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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump was on good terms with Putin until he ignored Trump’s requests to put the war on hold while both sides can work on a permanent settlement. Trump said he always has amicable conversations with Putin but, somehow they don’t translate into a change in Russian war policy in Ukraine.
Trump doesn’t think Putin takes his push for peace seriously, at least making some gesture, like pausing the drone and missile strikes, to show good faith. Putin has done the opposite, actually firing more missiles and drones into Ukraine since Trump requested the pause in action. “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances,” Trump said, that he doesn’t want a confrontation with Russia. “Well, we had to do that. We just have to be careful,” Trump told reporters. “And a threat was made and we didn’t think it was appropriate. So, I have to very careful. So, I do that on the basis of safety of our people,” Trump said, hoping Putin would intervene to muzzle Medvedev from making more nuclear threats. Putin may let Medvedev act as his attack dog when responding to Trump’ threats.
Trump wants Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire for the purpose of letting both sides work on a permanent settlement. With three rounds of Istanbul peace talks in the books, neither side has made any progress, except on exchanging prisoners-of-war or dead soldiers. Medvedev reacted to Trump giving Putin a 50 day deadline then changing in abruptly to 10 or 12 days, something that irked Medvedev. Medvedev said Putin doesn’t respond to threats, pointing out that he has many options in dealing with the Ukraine War. When it comes to Trump pushing both sides to do something they don’t want to do, Putin and Zelensky have been equally resistant. Trump actually has a better relationship with Putin than he does with Zelensky. Zelensky doesn’t trust Trump to negotiate a fair ceasefire or peace deal, fearing he takes Putin’s position on negotiations.
Trump has limited options in pushing both sides to a 30-day ceasefire. Zelensky ran to the European Union for more cash-and-weapons, now that Trump made clear he no longer supports proxy war with the Kremlin. Kremlin officials appreciate Trump’s overtures to improve U.S.-Russian relations but Medvedev made clear that Russian won’t be railroaded into any ceasefire or peace deal. Zelensky said Putin’s conditions for peace, AKA his memorandum, was more like blackmail, demanding that Zelensky cede sovereign territory to Russia. Trump and other heads-of-state believe that some kind of land-for-peace deal must take place to end the over three-year conflict. Putin continues to strike Ukraine because Zelensky categorically rejects Putin’s ceasefire and peace overtures. So, when it comes to moving the peace process along, there’s only so much Trump can do.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
