Trump orders nuclear submarines to position near Russia

2/8/2025 6:12

U.S. President Donald

Trump on Friday said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be

positioned in "the appropriate regions" in response to

statements from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.



"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 said in a social media post.



He added: "Words are very important, and can often lead to

unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those

instances."



He did not specify what he meant by "nuclear

submarines." Submarines may be nuclear-powered, or armed with

nuclear missiles.



It is extremely rare for the U.S. military to discuss

the deployment and location of U.S. submarines given their

sensitive mission in nuclear deterrence. The U.S. Navy declined

comment. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request

for comment.



Trump and Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's

Security Council, have traded taunts in recent days after Trump

on Tuesday said Russia had "10 days from today" to agree to a

ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit with tariffs, along with its oil

buyers.



Medvedev on Thursday said Trump should remember that Moscow

possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort,

after Trump told Medvedev to "watch his words."



Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in

Ukraine, has given no indication that it will comply with

Trump's deadline of August 8.



Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow

hoped for more peace talks with Ukraine but that the momentum of

the war was in its favor. He made no reference to the deadline.



Trump, who in the past touted good relations with Putin,

has expressed mounting frustration with the Russian leader,

accusing him of "bullshit" and describing Russia's latest

attacks on Ukraine as disgusting.



Medvedev has emerged as one of the Kremlin's most outspoken

anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops

into Ukraine in 2022. Kremlin critics deride him as an

irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say

his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin

policy-making circles.



Trump also rebuked Medvedev in July, accusing him of

throwing around the "N (nuclear) word" after the Russian

official criticized U.S. strikes on Iran and said "a number of

countries" were ready to supply Iran with nuclear warheads. "I

guess that's why Putin's 'THE BOSS'", Trump said at the time.



The U.S. president took office in January having

promised to end the Ukraine war on Day One, but has not been

able to get Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.



Only six countries operate nuclear-powered submarines: the

U.S., the UK, Russia, China, France and India.



The U.S. Navy has 71 commissioned submarines including 53

fast attack submarines, 14 ballistic-missile submarines, and

four guided-missile submarines. All of them are nuclear-powered,

but only some carry nuclear weapon-tipped missiles.