Trump announces the deployment of two nuclear submarines in an escalation with Russia.

Washington / MoscowDonald Trump has mobilized two nuclear submarines "to be positioned in the appropriate regions" near Russia, in a new escalation of tensions following the US president's ultimatum to Moscow to reach an agreement to stop the fighting in Ukraine. The president announced this through a post on Truth Social, in which he asserts that the decision responds to the "stupid and inflammatory statements" made yesterday by Dmitry Medvedev, Vice President of the Russian Security Council. Medvedev recalled in Washington that Moscow is a nuclear power. "Words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences; I hope this is not one of those times," the Republican wrote today, in a new example of the cooling relationship with Russia.

It all began on Thursday with Medvedev's response to Trump's threat to impose punitive tariffs on Russia and its oil buyers. The former Russian president warned the Republican that he was entering into "a game of ultimatums" and that, if he carried out this measure, he would be one step closer to war with Russia. Trump told Medvedev to watch his words, and he backtracked, raising Russia's nuclear capability.

Trump adds pressure as the White House is expected to make a final attempt in the coming hours to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table. his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, He is scheduled to travel to Russia this weekend after visiting Gaza on Friday. He is the main interlocutor between Trump and Putin, having already met with the Russian on two occasions. The last time, at the end of April, he appeared in Moscow with a peace proposal under his arm that included the recognition of Crimea, Ukraine's non-adherence to NATO and the freezing of the front in the current situation. But Putin rejected it.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported that earlier this week they had held talks with people "in the Russian president's inner circle" to explore avenues for agreement. However, in an interview on Fox News, he lamented that there had been "no progress" since then.

Putin makes it clear that he will not give in to the ultimatum.

Hours before Trump's nuclear threat, Putin had personally responded for the first time to his American counterpart's ultimatums. Despite not calling him, he wanted to make it clear that he is not backing down, that the negotiations must proceed at the pace set by the Kremlin, and that Russia's condition for peace is the capitulation of Volodymyr Zelensky. "Our goals, without a doubt, remain the same," he said.

The Kremlin leader believes that Trump has set "excessive expectations" and that this is "the reason for any disappointment." He therefore calls for "calm and silence" in addressing the talks. He recalls that at the last meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Moscow proposed the creation of three working groups that would communicate online, and that this must be the way forward. "We need an in-depth conversation, without cameras, not in public," he asserted.

From an island near St. Petersburg, accompanied by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, both dressed in shirts and jeans, in a relaxed atmosphere, Putin reiterated that Kiev's government is not legitimate and that he is willing to discuss an agreement after elections. "If they think it's not the time to negotiate, Moscow can wait," he added, while expressing confidence that the talks will continue.

Zelensky has already responded that if his words are "serious" and he intends to "end the war with dignity and establish a truly lasting peace," and is not trying to "buy" more time and "delay" sanctions, then what he should do is open himself to a summit at the highest level. "Ukraine calls for going beyond the exchange of statements and technical meetings, and moving on to talks between leaders," he noted.

Now, Putin, while talking about peace, reiterated the arguments for not stopping the fightingHis priority, he says, remains "eradicating the causes that led to the crisis," that is, completely conquering the occupied Ukrainian territories and ensuring Ukraine's neutrality. He also emphasized that Russian troops are advancing on all fronts, despite Western attempts to stop them. He claims that his army has captured the town of Chasiv Iar, in Donetsk, after months of intense fighting and bombing that have left it devastated. In contrast, Ukraine denies that Russian soldiers have seized control of the municipality.

During the conversation with reporters, the Russian president boasted about having kicked off "mass" production of missiles. Orejnik, a long-range weapon considered the crown jewel of the Russian army. All this the day after the devastating An airstrike on a residential building in Kiev killed at least 31 people, including five children, and injured more than 150 others..