Trump orders two 'nuclear submarines' moved near Russia after Medvedev warning

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he's ordering the repositioning of two US nuclear submarines close to Russia "based on the highly provocative statements" of the country's former president Dmitry Medvedev.

Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that 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."

The deployment comes after Medvedev warned Trump on Thursday to remember that Moscow had Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort.

Trump didn't say where the submarines would be moved to or specify whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed subs.

It also wasn't immediately clear what impact the deployment would have on America's submarine fleet, which is routinely on patrol in the world's hotspots, but it comes at a delicate moment in the Trump administration's relations with Moscow.

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 recently slashed his initial 50-day deadline for action to 10 days, with that window set to expire next week.

The post about the sub repositioning came after Trump, in the early 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."

Medvedev was president from 2008 to 2012 while Putin was barred from seeking a second consecutive term but 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, a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive.

He has frequently wielded nuclear threats and hurled 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.

On 15 July, after Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via its NATO allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow, Medvedev posted, "Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care."

Earlier this week, he 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."