In a dramatic intensification of the ongoing verbal clash between Donald Trump and a senior Russian official, the US President announced on Friday that he had ordered the repositioning of two American nuclear submarines. The move, Trump declared, was a direct response to what he called “highly provocative statements” from Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and currently the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump made the order public in a clear attempt to project power to Russia, amid a deepening rhetorical feud.
Why did Trump order the repositioning of nuclear submarines?
While the US military is constantly moving submarines into strategic positions around the world, Trump’s decision to announce such a deployment so openly and in direct response to a foreign official’s comments is practically unprecedented.
Most analysts argue that this was a rhetorical move; however, it signifies a major escalation in US-Russia relations.
The bizarre back-and-forth began earlier in the week. Trump, again via social media, attacked both Russia and India for their trade ties and instructed Medvedev to “watch his words.”
Trump posted on Truth Social that, “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India — their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!”
What did Medvedev say?
Russia’s Medvedev was quick to retaliate. In a fiery Telegram post, he attacked Trump for his comment about “dead economies” and “dangerous territory.” He then mentioned the so-called ”Dead Hand.” This was a reference to the secretive Soviet-era semi-automated nuclear retaliatory system, designed to launch missiles if the country’s leadership was ever wiped out in a decapitating strike. Medvedev went on to write that if his words could trigger such a “jittery reaction” from the US president, then “Russia must be completely in the right.”
Trump’s response was swift and blunt. “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 Friday. He concluded his statement with a warning: “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!”
Later that day, speaking to reporters, Trump was asked to provide more details on the submarine deployment. He refused to do so, only stating, “We had to do that. We just have to be careful.” He continued, “A threat was made and we didn’t think it was appropriate… we’re gonna protect our people.” He also pointed out that Medvedev had been “talking about nuclear,” which, he said, meant the US had to be prepared.
It is worth mentioning that the United States has a total of 71 nuclear submarines in its fleet.
