Trump shifts nuclear submarines in response to remarks from former Russian president

US President Donald Trump has announced the positioning of two nuclear submarines in response to what he calls "highly provocative" remarks made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. 

Stating that he took this measure to ensure safety, Trump remarked, "I acted just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words carry weight and can lead to unforeseen consequences, and I hope this will not be one of those cases." 

While he did not specify the deployment locations, this aligns with standard US military protocol. Medvedev recently issued threats toward the US, a reaction to Trump’s demands for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face stringent sanctions. 

Both Russia and the US hold the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons globally and operate fleets of nuclear submarines. In a post on Truth Social, Trump noted: "Based on the highly provocative statements of Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions." He did not clarify whether he was referencing nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines in his message.

Speaking with reporters later, Trump emphasized the need for caution, saying, “A threat was made, and we didn't think it was appropriate. I must prioritize the safety of our people. A former president of Russia has made a threat, and we will protect our citizens.” 

As of now, the Kremlin has not commented publicly on this situation, though the Russian stock market saw a significant drop following Trump’s statements. A back-and-forth exchange of personal attacks between Trump and Medvedev has recently unfolded on social media, coinciding with Trump’s ultimatum to current Russian President Vladimir Putin to conclude the war by August 8—a deadline that Putin has not indicated he will meet.

Prior to that, on Monday, Trump had established a deadline of "10 or 12" days. Earlier in July, he had threatened Russia with significant tariffs aimed at its oil and other exports if Putin did not conclude the war within 50 days. Medvedev - who served as Russia's president from 2008 to 2012 - accused Trump of engaging in "the ultimatum game with Russia" earlier this week. In a post on X, Medvedev stated, "each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war." He also characterized Trump's ultimatum as "theatrical" earlier in July, asserting that "Russia didn't care." In a message on Telegram on Thursday, Medvedev cautioned about a "dead hand" threat - which some military analysts interpreted as a reference to the codename of Russia's control system for retaliatory nuclear strikes.

Friday was not the first occasion on which Trump reacted to Medvedev's remarks. On Thursday, he referred to Medvedev as "the failed former president of Russia, who believes he is still president." Trump also cautioned Medvedev to "watch his words," adding that "he's entering very dangerous territory!" Medvedev is a proponent of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that commenced in 2022 and is a vocal critic of the West.