Trump orders US nuclear subs repositioned over statements from
ex-Russian leader Medvedev
[August 02, 2025]
By WILL WEISSERT
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a warning to Russia, President Donald Trump said
Friday he's ordering the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines
“based on the highly provocative statements” of the country's former
president, Dmitry Medvedev, who has raised the prospect of war online.
Trump posted on his social media site that, based on the “highly
provocative statements” from Medvedev, 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.”
It wasn’t clear what impact Trump’s order would have on U.S. nuclear
subs, which are routinely on patrol in the world’s hotspots, but it
comes at a delicate moment in the Trump administration's relations with
Moscow.
Trump said later Friday that he was alarmed by Medvedev's attitude.
“He's got a fresh mouth,” Trump said in an interview with Newsmax.
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 cut his
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 wee 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.”
And that back-and-forth started earlier this week when Medvedev 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.”
Asked as he was leaving the White House on Friday evening for a weekend
at his estate in New Jersey about where he was repositioning the subs,
Trump didn’t offer any specifics.
“We had to do that. We just have to be careful,” he said. “A threat was
made, and we didn’t think it was appropriate, so I have to be very
careful.”
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President Donald Trump listens during an event to sign an executive
order restarting the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools,
Thursday, July 31, 2025, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in
Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Trump also said, “I do that on the basis of safety for our people”
and “we’re gonna protect our people.” He later added of Medvedev,
“He was talking about nuclear.”
“When you talk about nuclear, we have to be prepared,” Trump said.
“And we’re totally prepared.” He told Newsmax that the submarines
were being moved “closer to Russia.”
Medvedev was Russia's president from 2008 to 2012, while Vladimir
Putin was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and then
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. That's a
U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and
progressive.
Medvedev has frequently wielded nuclear threats and lobbed 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.
One such example before the latest spat with Trump came on July 15,
after Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via
its NATO allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow.
Medvedev posted then, “Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the
Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences.
Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care.”
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Associated Press writer Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and
Darlene Superville in Bridgewater, N.J., contributed to this report.
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