WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Friday (Aug 1) he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be repositioned to the “appropriate regions” in response to recent threats from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
“I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump posted on social media.
He described Medvedev’s recent remarks as “highly provocative” and warned that “words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances.”
The move marks the latest escalation in rhetoric between the two leaders, who have traded barbs over Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Trump gave Moscow a 10-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face new US tariffs on Russian oil and on countries that purchase it.
Trump did not clarify whether the submarines are nuclear-powered or armed with nuclear weapons. The US Navy has declined to comment on the matter, and the Pentagon has not responded to media inquiries.
Russia has not signaled any willingness to meet Trump’s conditions and continues to advance its own demands for peace.
Medvedev, currently deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, responded by accusing Trump of playing a “game of ultimatums” and reminded the US leader of Russia’s legacy nuclear strike capabilities inherited from the Soviet Union.
The Kremlin has not directly commented on Trump’s latest move, but Medvedev’s remarks were widely covered in Russian state media. Once seen as a more moderate figure, Medvedev has in recent years become one of Moscow’s most vocal anti-Western hardliners, often issuing hawkish statements that Kremlin critics describe as reckless.
However, some Western diplomats view Medvedev’s rhetoric as a window into broader thinking within the Kremlin’s senior policy circles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that while Moscow welcomed more peace talks with Ukraine, the momentum on the battlefield remained in Russia’s favor.
Trump, who once touted close ties with Putin, has grown more openly frustrated with the Russian leader, calling recent attacks on Ukraine “disgusting” and accusing him of spreading “bullshit.”
Trump previously rebuked Medvedev in July for mentioning nuclear weapons in response to US strikes on Iran. At the time, Trump accused him of “throwing around the N (nuclear) word” and mocked the Kremlin by saying, “I guess that’s why Putin’s THE BOSS.”
The deployment of submarines adds to mounting tensions as both sides dig in over Ukraine and raise the stakes ahead of Trump’s self-imposed ceasefire deadline.
Only six countries operate nuclear-powered submarines: the US, the UK, Russia, China, France and India. The US Navy operates 71 submarines, all of which are nuclear-powered, though only some carry nuclear warheads.
