President Donald Trump said Friday that he ordered two US Navy nuclear submarines to take up strategic positions following what he described as “foolish” comments from Russia’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev.
“Based on the highly provocative statements” from Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, “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 wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
It was not immediately clear what type of submarine Trump was talking about. All Navy submarines are nuclear-powered vessels, but only the ballistic missile subs, or SSBNs, can launch Trident II missiles, which have nuclear warheads.
US Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines are regularly on patrol, with a focus on adversarial nuclear powers like Russia or China.
The US typically does not disclose the location of its secretive missile submarines, except in cases when it’s trying to send a message to adversaries. Trump didn’t give away the location, but the order serves the same purpose.
“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances,” Trump said in his social media post.
The Navy deferred questions on Trump’s comments to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which deferred questions to the White House and the president’s statement. The White House did not offer comment.
Trump and Medvedev have been exchanging threats and warnings in the wake of the US president saying earlier in the week that Russia had just a matter of days to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face new tariffs. The White House continues to be frustrated with Moscow’s unwavering position on the grinding war.
Medvedev, nowadays a warmonger who regularly rattles the Russian nuclear saber, responded by referring to what is perceived as an ultimatum as a “threat” that brings the two countries “a step towards war.”
Trump later singled out Medvedev in a Truth Social post, calling him “the failed former President of Russia” and cautioning that he should “watch his words.”
“He’s entering very dangerous territory!” Trump wrote.
But Medvedev hit back on the Telegram messaging platform and said that Trump should remember “his favorite movies about ‘The Walking Dead,’ as well as how dangerous the nonexistent ‘dead hand’ can be.”
The “dead hand” is a reference to a Soviet-era nuclear weapons control system designed to ensure that Russia can launch a retaliatory strike, even if leadership is physically unable to do so.
Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president between 2008 and 2012, has been one of the most prominent anti-Western voices in the Kremlin since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. His comments this week mark the latest nuclear saber-rattling by Russia. President Vladimir Putin has also leaned on the country’s nuclear arsenal, the largest in the world, in his warnings to the West amid the ongoing support for Ukraine.
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