Summary
- Trump ordered two nuclear submarines deployed near Russia.
- Response to provocative statements by ex-Russian President Medvedev.
- Deployment locations kept secret by US military authorities.
- Trump warned words can lead to unintended consequences.
- Medvedev threatened nuclear strike amid rising Ukraine war tensions.
Trump said he had made the decision to move the nuclear submarines due to Medvedev's "extremely provocative remarks" in a post on Truth Social on Friday. He also mentioned that Medvedev was now the deputy chairman of Russia's security council.
Trump's recent ultimatum and threats to impose sanctions on Russia were previously described by Medvedev as "a threat and a step towards war."
“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 responded.
“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”
Medvedev is also a big admirer of X, formerly Twitter, where he frequently writes harsh and oddly worded assaults against western nations and leaders in the evenings in Moscow. Medvedev was marginalized when Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency in 2012.
Medvedev had criticized Trump earlier this week for cutting his deadline for Russia to bring about peace with Ukraine from 50 days to only 10 days, threatening to slap sanctions and other financial penalties on Russia if it didn't comply.
“Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10,”
Medvedev wrote in a post.
"He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country."
”Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!”
he added, referring to the former US president Joe Biden.
Trump has expressed his annoyance at Putin, claiming that the Russian leader has been impeding his attempts to broker a truce between Russia and Ukraine, which he said he could accomplish in a day. He called Russia's ongoing attacks on civilian areas "disgusting" on Thursday.
“I go home. I tell the first lady, ‘You know, I spoke to Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.’ She said, ‘Oh, really? Another city was just hit,’”
he said in at the White House last month.
Trump's ultimatum has not received a response from Putin. After a week in which Russian drones and missiles once more killed people and destroyed property around Ukraine, he stated on Friday that he sought a “lasting and stable peace” in the country but made no indication that he was prepared to make any compromises to get there.
“We need a lasting and stable peace on solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and would ensure the security of both countries,”
said Putin, speaking to journalists on Friday, a week before a new deadline imposed by Trump for hostilities to cease.
On occasion, Putin has stated that he is interested in peace, but only on conditions that Kyiv finds completely unacceptable. The third round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine was held in Istanbul last week, but it ended in less than an hour and hasn't produced any agreements other than those pertaining to prisoner exchanges.
In an apparent reference to Trump’s comments, Putin said on Friday: “As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations. This is a well-known general rule.”
What prompted Trump to publicly deploy nuclear submarines over Medvedev's statements?
US President Donald Trump publicly announced the deployment of two nuclear submarines in response to "highly provocative" and "foolish and inflammatory" statements made by Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev.
Medvedev had made comments alluding to Russia's Cold War-era nuclear strike system ("Dead Hand") and criticized Trump’s ultimatums over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, warning that escalating rhetoric could lead to war not just between Russia and Ukraine but between Trump and his own country. Trump framed the submarine deployment as a precaution "just in case these statements are more than just that," emphasizing that "words are very important" and can lead to unintended consequences.