WASHINGTON D.C. – August 3, 2025 – US President Donald Trump announced Friday that he has ordered two nuclear submarines to be "positioned in appropriate areas" in direct response to what he termed "extremely provocative statements" by hawkish former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
The move marks a significant escalation in the war of words between the two nuclear superpowers, stemming from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and an increasingly personal feud between Trump and Medvedev.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated the action was a precautionary measure. "Words matter and can often lead to unintended consequences," he wrote. "I am hoping this will not be one of those cases." He did not specify where the two submarines were deployed, in line with standard US military protocol.
A Calculated Response to Nuclear Rhetoric
The President’s order follows a series of escalating threats from Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council. The former Russian leader had issued stark warnings in response to an ultimatum from Trump demanding Moscow agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face severe new sanctions.
Writing on Telegram on Thursday, Medvedev warned of a "dead hand" threat—a phrase widely understood by military analysts to be an allusion to Russia's "Dead Hand" system, a fail-safe control system for a retaliatory nuclear strike.
Speaking to reporters later on Friday, Trump elaborated on his decision. "There was a threat made, and we don't think that's appropriate. So I have to be very careful," he said. "I do it for the safety of our people. A former President of Russia made a threat. And we're going to protect our people."
In his social media post, the US President did not clarify whether he was referring to nuclear-powered submarines or submarines armed with nuclear weapons. The United States and Russia possess the world's largest arsenals of nuclear weapons and both operate fleets of nuclear submarines.
An Escalating Feud
This military repositioning is the latest development in a series of direct, personal attacks between Trump and Medvedev on social media. On Thursday, Trump had described Medvedev as a "failed former president of Russia who thinks he’s still the president." Trump also warned Medvedev to "be careful with his words," adding that "he is treading on very dangerous territory!"
The tension is set against the backdrop of Trump’s repeated ultimatums to current Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump recently set a new August 8 deadline for Putin to end the war, something the Kremlin has shown no sign of doing. This followed an earlier "10 or 12" day deadline issued on Monday. In early July, Trump threatened to impose heavy tariffs on Russian oil and other exports if Putin did not end the war within 50 days.
Medvedev has consistently ridiculed these deadlines. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this week, he accused Trump of playing "ultimatum games with Russia," adding that "every new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war." He previously described Trump's demands in July as "dramatic," stating that "Russia doesn't give a damn."
While the Kremlin has so far made no official public comment on the submarine deployment, the Moscow stock market saw a sharp decline following Trump's announcements.
Medvedev, who served as Russia's president from 2008 to 2012, has been a staunch supporter of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in 2022 and has become one of the West's most outspoken critics.
