Trump Orders Repositioning Nuclear Subs After Spat With Medvedev; Russians Respond

United States President Donald Trump warned Russia of ordering the repositioning of two US nuclear submarines after "highly provocative statements" of the country's former president, Dmitry Medvedev, as the two engaged in a war of words online.

When asked about where Trump was repositioning the subs, he didn’t offer any specifics. “We had to do that. We just have to be careful,” he said.

In response, a member of the Russian Parliament Duma reportedly exuded confidence when he said that "there are enough Russian nuclear submarines in the high seas to tackle two American subs dispatched by US President Donald Trump to counter Russia".

What Did Trump Say?

Trump posted on his social media site that, based on the “highly provocative statements” from Medvedev, he had “ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.”

The president added, “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”

It wasn’t clear what impact Trump’s order would have on U.S. nuclear subs, which are routinely on patrol in the world’s hotspots, but it comes at a delicate moment in the Trump administration's relations with Moscow.

Trump said later Friday that he was alarmed by Medvedev's attitude.

“He's got a fresh mouth,” Trump said in an interview with Newsmax.

Trump has said that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made. He cut his 50-day deadline for action to 10 days, with that window set to expire next week.

Asked as he was leaving the White House on Friday evening for a weekend at his estate in New Jersey about where he was repositioning the subs, Trump didn’t offer any specifics.

“We had to do that. We just have to be careful,” he said. “A threat was made, and we didn’t think it was appropriate, so I have to be very careful.”

Trump also said, “I do that on the basis of safety for our people” and “we’re gonna protect our people.” He later added of Medvedev, “He was talking about nuclear.”

“When you talk about nuclear, we have to be prepared,” Trump said. “And we’re totally prepared.” He told Newsmax that the submarines were being moved “closer to Russia.”

How Did This Start?

The post about the sub repositioning came after Trump, in the wee hours of Thursday morning, had posted that Medvedev was a “failed former President of Russia” and warned him to “watch his words.”

Medvedev responded hours later by writing, “Russia is right on everything and will continue to go its own way.”

And that back-and-forth started earlier this week when Medvedev wrote, “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10” and added, “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.”

Russian Lawmaker's Response

There are enough Russian nuclear submarines in the high seas to tackle two American subs dispatched by US President Donald Trump to counter Russia, a member of the Russian Parliament Duma has reportedly said.

"The number of Russian nuclear submarines in the world's oceans is significantly higher than the American ones, and the subs that US President Donald Trump ordered to be redirected to the appropriate regions have long been under their control. So no response from the Russian Federation to the American leader's statement about the submarines is required," a senior Russian lawmaker, Viktor Vodolatsky, was quoted as saying by TASS.

"Let the two US subs sail, they have been in the crosshairs for a long time now," the Russian lawmaker said.

"A fundamental agreement that must be concluded between Russia and America so that the whole world calms down and stops talking about the beginning of World War III," he added.

Meanwhile, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs magazine, Fyodor Lukyanov, said that Trump's nuclear submarine statement should not be taken seriously for now.

"Trump, as we know, runs his own channel and reacts, so to speak, emotionally, humanly and spontaneously. I think that the armed forces, the naval forces of the United States read this with great surprise. If this exchange of opinions continues, and Trump continues to be drawn into it, then, one way or another, he will probably have to take some action. In my opinion, so far this is only at the level of words," Lukyanov told local private news channel RBC TV.

Background

Medvedev was Russia's president from 2008 to 2012, while Vladimir Putin was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and then stepped aside to let him run again.

Now deputy chairman of Russia’s National Security Council, which Putin chairs, Medvedev has been known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since the start of the war in 2022. That's a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive.

Medvedev has frequently wielded nuclear threats and lobbed insults at Western leaders on social media. Some observers have argued that with his extravagant rhetoric, Medvedev is seeking to score political points with Putin and Russian military hawks.

One such example before the latest spat with Trump came on July 15, after Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via its NATO allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow. Medvedev posted then, “Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care.”

Following the American leader's statements, the Moscow Exchange index plummeted 2,709.26 points (0.99%) by 08:01 pm Moscow time (10:31 pm IST) on Friday.

Earlier, responding to a media question over US State Department Secretary Marco Rubio's recent interview with Fox News, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia agrees with the US administration that a direct military confrontation between Moscow and Washington must not happen.

"While Europeans are hysterically pushing for Ukraine’s integration into NATO and preparing for potential conflict with Russia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently reaffirmed a responsible stance, explicitly stating that a direct military confrontation between the United States and Russia must be avoided. We wholeheartedly concur with this position. Such shared understanding has been facilitated through constructive Russian-American dialogue," Lavrov said.

(With inputs from AP, PTI)