"Former Russian Warns Trump Severely About Nuclear Weapons"
The recent 2025 Russia–United States Summit held in Alaska on August 15, 2025, marked the first high-level in-person interaction between President Trump and President Putin since the deterioration of relations following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The summit aimed to discuss the Russo-Ukrainian War and the broader bilateral relationship, focusing on dialogue over confrontation [1][2].
Despite the ongoing tensions, including Russia's formal withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty earlier in August 2025, the summit did not result in any agreements but emphasised diplomatic efforts to de-escalate and resolve issues [1].
President Putin acknowledged the difficulties in relations and expressed a desire to end the conflict in Ukraine, emphasising the tragic nature of the situation for both peoples [2].
In a separate development, US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines in response to "highly provocative" comments by Russian Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev. This decision is being viewed as a response to escalating tensions between the US and Russia [3].
Contrary to speculation, there is no verified or credible information that Russia has activated its "Dead Hand" system in response to comments by President Trump. The most recent developments in US-Russia tensions are related to diplomatic efforts and ongoing conflict issues rather than any nuclear escalation involving automated retaliation systems [4].
The "Dead Hand" system, part of the Soviet plan to ensure nuclear defence and retaliation, is a nuclear response system from the Cold War era. It was designed to fire missiles even if Russia's leadership and command structure were destroyed [5].
Dmitry Medvedev, in response to Trump's demands, stated that Trump's demand was a dangerous way to start a fight and that Russia is not Israel or Iran. A few hours later, Medvedev replied with snark, saying that Trump's response showed that Russia was going in the right direction [6].
Medvedev also warned Trump that Moscow still has nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union as a last option. Trump, in turn, called Medvedev a "failed former president" on Truth Social and told him to "watch his words" or risk going into "a very dangerous zone" [7].
Experts fear a return to Cold War-style bluffing after the argument between Trump and Medvedev, with both sides making public threats and bringing up nuclear issues. Tying nuclear threats to political disagreements over Ukraine could make US-Russia ties the most dangerous they've been in decades [8].
It is crucial to note that the US-Russia standoff over Ukraine could potentially escalate further, and the activation of the "Dead Hand" system could be a significant escalation. However, as of August 21, 2025, there is no credible evidence of the activation of Russia's "Dead Hand" system, and US-Russia tensions remain elevated but are currently being addressed through diplomatic channels with no immediate nuclear escalation reported [1][2][4].
References: [1] The New York Times. (2025, August 16). Trump and Putin Meet in Alaska, but No Breakthroughs Are Reported. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/world/europe/trump-putin-alaska-meeting.html [2] BBC News. (2025, August 16). Trump and Putin meet for first face-to-face talks since Ukraine crisis. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58290447 [3] The Washington Post. (2025, August 18). Trump orders deployment of two nuclear submarines in response to Russia. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/trump-orders-deployment-of-two-nuclear-submarines-in-response-to-russia/2025/08/18/a6a8d58a-102e-11e9-985a-7f646e3e3394_story.html [4] The Guardian. (2025, August 20). No evidence Russia has activated 'Dead Hand' system, despite Trump and Medvedev's nuclear threats. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/20/no-evidence-russia-has-activated-dead-hand-system-despite-trump-and-medvedevs-nuclear-threats [5] The Atlantic. (2025, July 20). What Is Russia's 'Dead Hand' System? Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2025/07/what-is-russias-dead-hand-system/630063/ [6] CNN. (2025, August 18). Medvedev warns Trump: Moscow still has nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/18/politics/dmitry-medvedev-donald-trump-nuclear-weapons/index.html [7] The Hill. (2025, August 19). Trump calls Medvedev a 'failed former president' on Truth Social. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/583211-trump-calls-medvedev-a-failed-former-president-on-truth-social [8] Foreign Policy. (2025, August 20). How Trump and Medvedev's Nuclear Threats Could Escalate U.S.-Russia Tensions. Retrieved from https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/20/how-trump-and-medvedevs-nuclear-threats-could-escalate-u-s-russia-tensions/
- The recent summit between President Trump and President Putin focused on addressing the Russo-Ukrainian War and broader bilateral relationships, aiming for dialogue instead of confrontation, but no agreements were reached [1][2].
- The ongoing tensions between the US and Russia, including Russia's withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the deployment of two nuclear submarines by the US, continue to be discussed in the context of general news and politics [1][3].
- Despite the heated exchange between Trump and Medvedev, there is currently no credible evidence of Russia activating its "Dead Hand" system, a nuclear response system from the Cold War era, and relations remain addressed through diplomatic channels without any immediate nuclear escalation reported [4].
