President Donald Trump responded decisively on Friday to recent inflammatory remarks made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, ordering the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines.
The move came amid escalating tensions over stalled peace talks and veiled threats of nuclear retaliation from Moscow.
Speaking with reporters on the White House lawn, Trump confirmed that the deployment was a direct response to statements made by Medvedev, now serving as deputy chairman of Russia’s security council.
The president said the remarks crossed a line and required an immediate and serious reaction in the interest of national safety.
.@POTUS on repositioning two U.S. nuclear subs: "We had to do that… A threat was made and 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." https://t.co/UkMrEFHcph pic.twitter.com/IXluSTn294
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 1, 2025
“Oh, yeah, well we had to do that,” Trump stated when asked about the submarines. “We just have to be careful. And a threat was made and 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.”
He doubled down on the reasoning, pointing directly at Russia’s former head of state: “A threat was made by a former President of Russia. And we’re going to protect our people.”
The tensions flared after Trump, during a press availability in Great Britain earlier in the week, criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for what he described as a lack of cooperation in peace negotiations.
At that time, Trump announced that he would be scrapping an earlier 50-day negotiation window and replacing it with a more accelerated timeline.
“I was very disappointed,” Trump said regarding Putin’s inaction. “We’re shortening the window — making a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days.”
Flying back to the United States aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, the president specified the countdown, telling the traveling press corps, “10 days from today.”
He followed that by promising retaliatory economic measures if Russia failed to engage.
“And then we’re going to put on tariffs,” Trump warned. “And I don’t know if it’s going to affect Russia, because he wants to, obviously, probably keep the war going.”
As of Tuesday evening, Trump said he had not received any official communication from the Kremlin in response to the new terms.
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Medvedev, in turn, wasted no time firing back with incendiary words of his own. In a statement posted on social media, he dismissed Trump’s new deadline as posturing and issued a thinly veiled warning.
“Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… 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!” Medvedev said.
Trump's playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… 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!— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) July 28, 2025
What followed was a rapid deterioration in rhetoric between the two sides, with references to nuclear conflict entering the conversation by Thursday.
That same day, Trump remarked that the U.S. should continue to minimize business dealings with Russia, calling for near-total disengagement.
“Russia and the U.S. should do almost no business together,” Trump asserted. Directing comments at Medvedev, he added, “He should watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!”
Medvedev’s counterpunch arrived only hours later. “If certain words uttered by the former Russian president provoke such a nervous reaction from the formidable US president, then Russia is right about everything and will continue to go its own way,” he wrote.
He then referenced a doomsday scenario that alarmed U.S. observers: “Let him remember his favorite movies about ‘The Walking Dead,’ as well as how dangerous the non-existent in nature ‘Dead Hand’ can be.”
“Dead Hand” refers to a rumored automatic nuclear retaliation system developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
The notion that such a mechanism might still be active in Russia’s arsenal did not sit well with the U.S. president.
According to officials, Trump was infuriated by what he saw as an allusion to an American nuclear catastrophe.
On Friday afternoon, Trump went public with his decision to mobilize nuclear-capable submarines, informing the American public through a post on his Truth Social platform.
“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, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump wrote.
“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!”
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