President Donald Trump has responded to recent remarks by Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, by ordering the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines.
In a statement shared on Truth Social, Trump cited what he called “highly provocative statements” from Medvedev as the reason for the move.
“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 wrote.
“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences,” he added. “I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
The back-and-forth between Trump and Medvedev began on Monday, July 28. That day, Medvedev posted on X, warning that Trump was “playing the ultimatum game with Russia.”
“50 days or 10… 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. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road,” Medvedev wrote, referring to former President Joe Biden.
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Medvedev’s post was a direct reaction to Trump’s remarks made during a joint appearance in Scotland with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, where Trump announced he was shortening the deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine—from 50 days to less than two weeks.
Trump responded again on July 30 via Truth Social, criticizing Medvedev and Russia’s economic ties with India.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“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. He’s entering very dangerous territory.”
Medvedev later fired back on Telegram, suggesting Trump’s reaction proved Russia’s strength.
“If a few words from a former Russian president provoke such a nervous reaction from the supposedly mighty President of the United States, then clearly Russia is in the right – and will continue on its chosen path,” Medvedev stated.
He concluded with a pointed reference: “As for his remarks about the ‘dead economies’ of India and Russia and ‘venturing into dangerous territory,’ perhaps he should revisit his favorite movies about the living dead and recall just how dangerous the mythical ‘Dead Hand’ can be.”
The “Dead Hand” refers to Russia’s Cold War-era nuclear retaliation system designed to automatically launch a counterstrike in the event of a decapitated leadership.
