Trump says nuclear submarines are 'within the area' as Russia deadline looms

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President Donald Trump informed reporters on Sunday that nuclear submarines he ordered to counter Russia at the moment are "within the area" forward of U.S. particular envoy Steve Witkoff’s go to.

Earlier than boarding Air Pressure One in Allentown, Pa., to return to Washington, D.C., Trump was requested if the nuclear submarines had already been deployed to "face Russia." Trump stated on TRUTH Social on Friday that he ordered two nuclear submarines "to be positioned within the acceptable areas" in response to what he thought of "extremely provocative statements" from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev about potential conflict with the U.S.

"I've already put out an announcement and the reply is they're within the area, yeah, the place they need to be," Trump informed reporters at Lehigh Valley Worldwide Airport on Sunday.

Trump stated that Witkoff is anticipated to journey to Russia on "Wednesday or Thursday." Russian state media reported Monday that Witkoff would arrive on Wednesday. The go to comes forward of the Friday deadline Trump set for Russian President Vladimir Putin to succeed in a ceasefire settlement with Ukraine or face extra sanctions and tariffs. Trump additionally has warned about potential secondary tariffs for the purchasers of Russian power.

TRUMP BRUSHES BACK RUSSIA'S MEDVEDEV AFTER 'WAR' WARNING: 'WATCH HIS WORDS'

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters earlier than boarding Air Pressure One at Lehigh Valley Worldwide Airport, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Allentown, Pa. (AP Picture/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

"Effectively, there will be sanctions, however they appear to be fairly good at avoiding sanctions. You already know, they're wily characters, and so they're fairly good at avoiding sanctions," Trump informed reporters in entrance of Marine One. "So we'll see what occurs."

Requested about Witkoff’s message to Moscow and if there’s something the Russians can do to keep away from sanctions, Trump stated Sunday, "Yeah, get a deal the place individuals cease getting killed."

"An incredible variety of Russian troopers have been killed. And likewise Ukraine, a decrease quantity, however nonetheless 1000's and 1000's of individuals. And now we're including cities the place they're being hit by missiles. So it is lots of people being killed in that ridiculous conflict," Trump stated. "We stopped lots of international locations from conflict, India and Pakistan, we stopped lots of international locations. And we'll get that one stopped too. By some means. We'll get that one stopped. That is a very horrible conflict."

"This ought to be the simplest to cease, and it’s not," Trump added.

Earlier than ordering the deployment of nuclear submarines final week, Trump had warned Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, to "watch his phrases." Medvedev had complained that Trump had shortened the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deadline from 50 days to simply 10 to 12 days, saying that the "ultimatum" was menace towards conflict "not between Russia and Ukraine, however together with his personal nation."

On this picture launched by Xinhua Information Company, Chinese language and Russian warships participate in a joint naval drills within the East China Sea, Dec. 27, 2022. (Xu Wei/Xinhua through AP, File)

Regardless of Trump cautioning that Medvedev was coming into "harmful territory," the Russian official doubled down and referenced Russia’s "Lifeless Hand" – the Chilly Struggle-era automated nuclear retaliation system developed by the Soviet Union.

The U.S. and Russia maintain the biggest nuclear arsenals on the planet.

Prime Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly downplayed the U.S. deployment of nuclear submarines Monday. He informed reporters that "American submarines are already on fight obligation – that’s a relentless course of" and the Russians "don’t consider it is a case of any type of escalation," based on the Russian-language news website Meduza.

Requested about Medvedev's remarks, Peskov stated members of the management in any nation have totally different views however pressured Putin definitively decides Russian international coverage.

"We strategy any statements associated to nuclear points with nice warning," Peskov added on the press convention, based on The Moscow Times. "Russia is firmly dedicated to nuclear non-proliferation, and we consider that each one events ought to train the utmost restraint on the subject of nuclear rhetoric."

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In the meantime, Beijing and Moscow have deepened their ties in recent times, with China offering an financial lifeline to Russia within the face of Western sanctions over the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Russia and China have began mock fight drills and different conflict video games within the Sea of Japan, The Telegraph reported. Citing an announcement from the Chinese language Protection Ministry, the newspaper stated the three-day train entails 4 Chinese language vessels, together with the guided-missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, and entails "submarine rescue, joint anti-submarine, air protection and anti-missile operations, and maritime fight," in addition to naval patrols in "related waters of the Pacific."

At a press convention asserting particulars of the annual drills final week, Chinese language Protection Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang stated the Joint Sea 2025 train could be held within the air and seas close to the Russian port metropolis of Vladivostok, positioned throughout the ocean from Japan's west coast. Final yr, the drill was held off southern China within the South China Sea.

"That is an association throughout the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries. It's not focused at any third social gathering, neither is it associated to the present worldwide and regional state of affairs," Zhang stated.

China and Russia additionally signed a "no-limits" financial partnership shortly after the conflict in Ukraine started.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters earlier than boarding Air Pressure One at Lehigh Valley Worldwide Airport, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Allentown, Pa. (AP Picture/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Zhang criticized ongoing drills that the U.S. Air Pressure is conducting with Japan and different companions within the western Pacific. Resolute Pressure Pacific is the biggest contingency-response train ever performed by the Air Pressure within the area, based on the U.S. navy. The U.S. Air Pressure has stated their train will prepare its forces to take care of readiness and execute missions underneath stress to display their capacity to defend the USA and associate nations within the Pacific.

"The U.S. has been blindly flexing muscular tissues within the Asia-Pacific area and trying to make use of navy drills as a pretext to gang up, intimidate and stress different international locations, and undermine peace and stability within the area," Zhang informed reporters.

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Japan's Protection Ministry stated in an annual report earlier this month that China’s rising navy cooperation with Russia poses severe safety issues.

The Related Press contributed to this report.

Danielle Wallace is a breaking information and politics reporter at Fox Information Digital. Story ideas could be despatched to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on X: @danimwallace .