In the latest twist of a geopolitical drama that should have been de-escalated months ago, President Trump announced the deployment of two nuclear submarines to “the appropriate regions,” citing “highly provocative” statements from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
This is not deterrence, it is panic, and it is exactly the sort of reaction Medvedev and Putin were baiting the United States into.
The Kremlin no longer needs to fire missiles or take new territory to rattle the West, it simply needs to provoke an overreaction. The idea that Trump would redeploy nuclear submarines in response to comments on Telegram and X (formerly Twitter) shows how easily the United States can be manipulated into strategic missteps. This is not strength, it is strategic fragility.
Let us be clear: this is not how nuclear diplomacy works. The Cold War’s most dangerous moments were marked by restraint and back channel diplomacy. Now we have nuclear deployments triggered by online rhetoric. It reflects an unmoored, weakened superpower projecting confusion rather than confidence.
And that confusion has roots deeper than just Putin’s psychological tactics.
Since the moral defeat of the United States and Israel during the 12-day Iran-Israel war, Washington’s global standing has taken a substantial hit. What was supposed to be a demonstration of technological and military superiority became an embarrassing showcase of vulnerability. The Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and even US supplied Patriot systems were tested, and found wanting. This war proved that US military power, once thought unassailable, is now predictable, exposed, and, in many cases, beatable.
Russia was watching closely. And unlike Ukraine, battered, fragmented, and reliant on Western supplies, Russia is learning, adapting, and now seemingly unfazed by threats from Washington. Putin knows the US arsenal, he has studied it in Ukraine, and now sees the cracks widening. His forces are better organised, equipped with effective countermeasures, and politically emboldened.
Now, even Trump’s desperate nuclear posturing and artificial deadlines are being ignored.
Putin, speaking from the Valaam Monastery with Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko at his side, offered nothing but disdain for Trump’s latest ultimatum: a ceasefire in Ukraine by 8 August, or face new sanctions. “All disappointments arise from inflated expectations,” Putin said, brushing off Trump’s comments with the ease of a man who knows America’s bark no longer comes with a bite. Russia, he boasted, is “advancing on the entire front line.”
Lukashenko was even more blunt: “50 days, 60 days, 10 days, you don’t do politics like that.”
They are not just defying the United States, they are mocking it.
Trump’s countdown diplomacy, reduced from 50 days to just 10, has become an international joke. And with Russia intensifying drone strikes, devastating Kyiv, and deepening its grip on occupied territory, it is obvious Putin sees no reason to pause. On the contrary, he is accelerating.
Ukraine may still hold out hope for a negotiated settlement. But as President Zelensky hinted, Russia may simply be stalling talks to regroup, not to retreat. And with US diplomacy scattered, Trump’s special envoy flitting between Israel and vague promises of a Moscow visit, there is little to suggest Washington has any serious leverage left.
The outcome is as clear as it is dangerous:
Russia is emboldened
America is isolated
And Trump’s hollow threats have only exposed a global power in strategic retreat
This is not Cold War 2.0, it is worse. Because back then, the enemy respected the rules. Now, the United States is being toyed with, by men who smell weakness and are no longer afraid to exploit it.