It is usually Moscow that wields the "nuclear sword," but this time it is Washington issuing nuclear threats, marking a sharp escalation in the verbal battle between Donald Trump and former Russian President Medvedev — according to the view of Sky News' Moscow correspondent, Ivo Bennett.
"More importantly: this clearly means that the relationship between Trump and Vladimir Putin has seriously deteriorated." — analysts pointed out.
Earlier this week, Trump drastically reduced the "deadline" for Russia's push for a ceasefire from 50 days to 10 days, showing his patience with the Kremlin has run out.
However, there are no signs of tension on the Russian side — from contemptuous disregard to open insults like those from Medvedev. Bennett believes this reaction has become a "turning point" in Trump's stance towards Russia, as it is the first time he has raised pressure on Moscow from verbal to concrete actions.
"We don't know where these nuclear submarines are now, nor how far they have come to approach Russia. But such deployments clearly escalate the situation several levels beyond traditional 'sanction threats.'"
How will Russia respond? Bennett believes that Putin has never backed down under ultimatum pressure, and it is unlikely he will do so now.
However, he also pointed out that Putin is unlikely to want the situation to deteriorate further. A more likely approach would be for him to propose some sort of "initiative" to the United States, which appears to be a concession but actually has no substantial content.
"This trick has been used before and worked. But this time, the stakes are much higher." — concluded the Sky News reporter.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839321704986699/
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