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President Donald Trump said Friday he has ordered the deployment of two U.S. nuclear submarines “to the appropriate regions” in response to escalating rhetoric from Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia and current deputy chairman of its Security Council.
“Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev… 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 on his Truth Social platform. “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances.”
Trump did not disclose the location of the submarines or specify what constitutes the “appropriate regions.” The White House declined to comment on the deployment or provide additional information.
Speaking with reporters later Friday, Trump defended the order. “We had to do that,” he said. “We just have to be careful. A threat was made and we didn’t think it was appropriate. We’re gonna protect our people.”
The warning follows a days-long public spat between Trump and Medvedev, prompted by Trump’s newly issued demand that the Kremlin agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine within 10 days or face new sanctions — a shortening of the 50-day deadline he previously proposed.
Medvedev, posting Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter), accused Trump of playing “the ultimatum game” with Moscow and warned that such threats were inching the two countries closer to a broader conflict.
“Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,” Medvedev said, adding, “Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!”
Trump fired back on Truth Social, calling Medvedev “the failed former President of Russia” and warning him to “watch his words.”
But tensions escalated further on Thursday, when Medvedev published a cryptic message on his Telegram channel referencing “Dead Hand,” the Cold War-era automatic nuclear retaliation system still believed to be part of Russia’s strategic arsenal.
In Russian, Medvedev warned Trump “how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be” if triggered by miscalculation.
The exchange comes amid Trump’s renewed push to pressure Russia into halting its invasion of Ukraine. While Trump has long criticized NATO’s handling of the war and questioned continued U.S. aid, he has recently taken a harder line, suggesting Moscow’s aggression could result in swift retaliation — financial or otherwise.
Analysts say the back-and-forth between Trump and Medvedev is the most direct public exchange of nuclear signaling between the two nations since early in the Ukraine conflict. While neither country has made concrete threats of a first strike, the rhetoric underscores growing global anxiety about the war’s trajectory.
The Pentagon has not publicly confirmed or denied Trump’s submarine order. It is unclear if the move reflects a formal change in U.S. posture or is primarily intended as a political warning to Moscow.
