MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump deploys nuclear submarines near Russia in response to Medvedev’s threats

The escalation stems from Trump’s recent 10-day ultimatum to the Kremlin: accept a ceasefire in Ukraine or face harsh U.S. tariffs and sanctions

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines to “appropriate regions” near Russia, reacting to what he called “very provocative” threats made by former Russian President and current Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev.

“I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these insane and incendiary statements go any further,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth. “Words matter, and they often trigger unintended consequences. I hope this isn’t one of those cases,” he added.

The move follows an intensifying war of words between Trump and Medvedev. The Russian official accused Trump earlier this week of engaging in a “game of ultimatums” and reminded him that “Russia is not Israel, not even Iran.” Medvedev warned that “each new ultimatum is one step closer to war — not with Ukraine, but with your own country.”

The escalation stems from Trump’s recent 10-day ultimatum to the Kremlin: accept a ceasefire in Ukraine or face harsh U.S. tariffs and sanctions. Trump claimed during his election campaign that he could end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours” if elected. He has now appointed businessman Steve Witkoff to negotiate directly with Russian officials in pursuit of a ceasefire deal.

So far, there has been no indication from Moscow that it intends to comply with Trump’s demands.

In a separate post Friday, Trump claimed that nearly 20,000 Russian soldiers had died in the war in July alone, bringing the total Russian death toll in 2025 to over 112,000. He also estimated that Ukraine had lost “approximately 8,000 soldiers” since January, excluding the missing. “So many unnecessary deaths,” Trump lamented, adding that Ukraine “has also suffered greatly.”