US President Donald Trump has directed nuclear submarines to relocate to strategic positions following what he deemed a ‘highly provocative statement’ from a former Russian leader.
On Thursday, July 31, Trump, aged 79, stated that former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev should ‘watch his words.’ This response came after Medvedev characterized Trump’s threat to impose punitive tariffs on Russia and its oil purchasers as a ‘game of ultimatums.’
Medvedev’s cautionary remarks followed Trump’s statement that Russia had ‘ten or twelve days’ from July 29 to reach a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, as reported by Reuters.
“If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right and will continue to proceed along its own path,” stated Medvedev, who is now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, on Telegram.
He also advised Trump to remember ‘how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be,’ referencing Russia’s secretive, semi-automated nuclear command system, which is intended to launch automatically if the Russian leadership is incapacitated.
Following Medvedev’s remarks, Trump announced on Truth Social on Friday, August 1, that his administration had repositioned two nuclear submarines.
“Based on the highly provocative statements of the former president of Russia, 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 posted on his social media platform.
Trump clarified that the decision to move the submarines was made ‘just in case’ Medvedev’s words were indeed threats.
“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
It remains unclear whether Trump was referring to nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines in his message.
In a subsequent interview, Trump told reporters that he considered Medvedev’s comments as threatening.
“We didn’t think it was appropriate. So I have to be very careful.
“I do that on the basis of safety for our people. A threat was made by a former president of Russia. And we’re going to protect our people.”
According to Reuters, security analysts have described Trump’s actions as a rhetorical escalation with Moscow rather than a military one.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group, criticized Trump’s potential moves as both ‘irresponsible and inadvisable.’
“No leader or deputy leader should be threatening nuclear war, let alone in a juvenile manner on social media.”
The Kremlin has not yet issued a public response regarding the situation.