US President Donald Trump said he is moving two nuclear submarines to regions near Russia following doomsday threats related to the war in Ukraine from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
“I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that the move was a precaution in case Medvedev’s “foolish and inflammatory statements” were more than just rhetoric.
“Words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances,” Trump added, calling Medvedev a “failed” former president.
Earlier this week, Medvedev, currently deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, accused the United States of playing a “game of ultimatums” in response to Trump’s announcement that he had shortened a 50-day deadline for Russia to stop its war against Ukraine to 10 days.
On his X page from July 28, Medvedev wrote that “each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war.”
He further urged Trump not to “follow the path” of former US President Joe Biden, whom Moscow had numerously accused of escalating tensions with Russia.
After being told by Trump to “watch his words” on July 31, Medvedev went further reminding the US president of Russia’s ‘Dead Hand’ command system designed to automatically launch Moscow’s nuclear missiles if the country’s leadership had been taken out.
“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,” Medvedev added.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Medvedev been one of the most outspoken anti-Western hawks in Moscow.
Some Kremlin critics consider him an irresponsible extremist, while others say his statements reflect the thinking of many senior Russian policymakers.
Reacting to the taunts, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top aide, Andriy Yermak, told the New York Post earlier this week that Medvedev was “very stupid” to make such statements.
“I don’t know what his psychological condition is. Maybe he was drunk,” he added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he doesn’t think Medvedev should be considered a decision-maker in Russia but added that his comments can’t be ignored.
“Obviously, he’s someone who once held office there and is still in a government role, and his words are going to have an impact in the role of a provocateur,” Rubio told Fox Radio on July 31.
This isn’t the first time Trump and Medvedev have clashed.
The former Russian leader has been a vocal critic of Trump and recent US strikes on Iran. But it appears to be the first time an exchange between the two may has led to the real action.
Trump later on August 1 stepped his attacks on the Russian leadership, saying that “I have just been informed that almost 20,000 Russian soldiers died this month in the ridiculous War with Ukraine.”
“Russia has lost 112,500 soldiers since the beginning of the year,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“That is a lot of unnecessary DEATH! Ukraine, however, has also suffered greatly. They have lost approximately 8,000 soldiers since January 1, 2025, and that number does not include their missing,” he said, adding that both sides have also suffered civilian deaths.
Neither side has given regular military casualty figures.
