“Medvedev wasn’t calmly explaining Russia’s first-strike policy—he invoked Dead Hand, a doomsday system designed to auto-launch nukes if Russian leadership is wiped out. That’s not a casual reminder; it’s nuclear saber-rattling in response to tariff threats, not missiles.”
Thank you for agreeing that Medvedev was talking about a RESPONSE to a first strike. I was not aware of Dead Hand and there’s a good chance that either Trump wasn’t aware, or he was told that it was fictitious, given the Neocons that surround him. And given the Neocon OBSESSION over Russia, launching a First Strike at Russia is definitely in the mix.
So now Trump knows that Russia has a standing RESPONSE to a First Strike, and that it’s real. So, given that, it’s important to note how much things have calmed down.
No Bob, this is an expansion of Medvedev's earlier threat of war as a response to US sanctions. You seem to have forgotten that Medvedev said "Russia isn't Israel or even Iran and that each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country." I will agree with you that Medvedev was talking about a response but the response he was talking about was with regard to SANCTIONS against Russia, not a nuclear strike. He was clearly saber rattling. It is good that Russia is walking Medvedev's violent rhetoric back since Trump called their bluff instead of pearl clutching like so many others.