WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Friday (Aug 1) he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be repositioned near Russian waters 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.
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.
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.
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