Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, praised US President Donald Trump as an effective leader striving for peace, but added that Moscow had seen no trace of the nuclear submarines that Trump said had moved to Russian shores, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
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The publication notes that Trump, who has stated that he wants to be remembered as a "peacekeeping" president, has repeatedly said that a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine is close, and a new round of talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine is scheduled for this week in Abu Dhabi.
When asked whether Trump's attitude towards Russia was positive or negative, and regarding unproven speculation that Trump was some kind of Russian agent, Medvedev said that the American people had elected Trump, and that Moscow respected that decision.
Medvedev praised Trump's courage in resisting the American establishment and said that the US president's sometimes "defiant" style was "effective."
"He is an emotional person, but on the other hand, the chaos that is usually talked about, which is created by his activities, is not entirely true," he told Reuters, TASS, and Russian war blogger WarGonzo in an interview at his residence near Moscow, which was allowed for publication on Sunday.
"It is obvious that there is a completely conscious and competent line behind this," said Medvedev, who served as president of Russia from 2008 to 2012.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin remains the ultimate voice in Russian politics, although Medvedev, a fierce hawk who has repeatedly incited Trump on social media, offers insight into the thinking of hardliners in the Russian elite, according to foreign diplomats.
"Trump wants to go down in history as a peacemaker - and he really is trying," Medvedev said. "He really is trying to do it. And that's why contacts with the Americans have become much more productive."
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Medvedev also said that the key to understanding Trump was his business experience, joking that there was no such thing as a former businessman - a play on an old Russian joke that there was no such thing as a former KGB agent.
In August, Trump said he had ordered two American nuclear submarines to move closer to Russia in response to what he called Medvedev's "very provocative" comments about the risk of war after what appeared to be an ultimatum from Trump.
Trump: US nuclear submarines "closer to Russia"02.08.25, 10:35
"We still haven't found them," Medvedev said of the American submarines.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Medvedev repeatedly threatened Kyiv and Western powers, warning of the risks of escalating the war to a nuclear "apocalypse."
Medvedev said that Russia would achieve a military victory in the war in Ukraine "soon," but the main thing was to prevent any further conflict, adding: "I would like this to happen as soon as possible."
"But it is no less important to think about what will happen next. Ultimately, the goal of victory is to prevent new conflicts. This is absolutely obvious," the publication quoted Medvedev as saying.