Russia Says It Has Enough Nukes to Counter U.S. Submarines: Lawmaker Responds to Trump

Russia Downplays Trump’s Nuclear Submarine Move, Warns U.S. Subs Are Already in Crosshairs.

A senior Russian lawmaker has dismissed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to redeploy American nuclear submarines to “appropriate regions,” asserting that Russia already has a superior underwater presence and its forces have the situation under control.

Viktor Vodolatsky, a member of the Russian Parliament’s lower house, the State Duma, told Russian news agency TASS that the U.S. submarines in question have long been monitored.

“The number of Russian nuclear submarines in the world’s oceans is significantly higher than the American ones. The submarines that President Trump ordered to be moved have long been under our control. There is no need for any specific reaction from Russia,” he said.

His comments were in response to a Truth Social post by Trump on Friday, in which the Republican leader claimed he had ordered the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines after what he described as “extremely provocative statements” by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.

Vodolatsky brushed off Trump’s move, stating:

“Let the two U.S. subs sail — they’ve been in the crosshairs for a long time. What’s truly needed is a fundamental agreement between Russia and America to ease global tensions and stop all talk about a potential World War III.”

Russian Analysts: Trump Playing to the Gallery
Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs magazine, also downplayed Trump’s remarks, suggesting they were more rhetorical than strategic.

“Trump operates his own media channel and tends to respond in an emotional, spontaneous manner,” he said in an interview with RBC TV. “I suspect U.S. naval officials were just as surprised to read his statement as anyone else. For now, it appears to be just words — unless Trump keeps pushing, which may force further developments.”

Market Reaction and Diplomatic Signals
Trump’s nuclear saber-rattling had a noticeable ripple effect on markets. Following his post, the Moscow Exchange index dropped by 2,709.26 points (0.99%) by 8:01 pm Moscow time on Friday.

Meanwhile, amid escalating rhetoric, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov struck a more measured tone. Speaking in response to a question about U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent interview, Lavrov said Moscow agrees with Washington’s assessment that a direct military conflict between the two powers must be avoided.

“Europe may be fueling hysteria about Ukraine’s NATO membership and preparing for conflict with Russia, but Secretary Rubio recently emphasized the importance of avoiding direct confrontation. We fully support that position,” Lavrov noted, citing ongoing Russian-American dialogue as crucial to this understanding.