Trump orders nuclear submarines to be 'positioned' amid Russian threat

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he was ordering two U.S. nuclear submarines to be “positioned in the appropriate regions” after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the current deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, made “provocative statements.”

In a Friday statement on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, 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.”

“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances,” Trump added. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The president’s announcement came after Medvedev appeared to issue a threat regarding Russia’s nuclear retaliation capabilities if the country’s leadership was ever targeted. 

In a Telegram statement obtained by Reuters, Medvedev said, “If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right and will continue to proceed along its own path.”

The former Russian president warned that Trump should remember “how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be.” Reuters reported that Medvedev’s warning to Trump regarding the “Dead Hand” is a reference to a secret Russian command system that has been developed in order to launch Russia’s nuclear missiles if an adversary were to strike the nation’s leadership. 

The Russian president’s threatening comments came after Trump announced that his administration would be imposing a 25% tariff on India due to the country’s purchase of oil from Russia, according to The Associated Press.

In a Thursday statement on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “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,” Trump added. “He’s entering very dangerous territory!”

Asked on Sunday whether the submarines Trump ordered to be “positioned in the appropriate regions” had been deployed, the president told reporters, “I’ve already put out a statement, and the answer is, they are in the region, yeah, where they have to be.”