Donald Trump ordered the deployment of nuclear submarines near Russia

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Friday that he had ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines in strategic areas near Russia, in response to recent threats made by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

“I've ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and incendiary statements are more than that”, Trump wrote on his social media, describing Medvedev's remarks as extremely provocative.

The American president added that “words are very important and can often have unforeseen consequences; I hope this isn't one of those cases”.

In recent days, Trump and Medvedev, current vice president of the Security Council of Russia, have exchanged statements following an ultimatum issued by the American president on Tuesday, in which he gave Russia “10 days from today” to sign a ceasefire in Ukraine, warning that, if not, both Moscow and its main oil buyers would face heavy tariffs and sanctions.

For now, Russia hasn't shown any signs of complying with the deadline set by Washington, and has even carried out the largest bombing against the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, since the beginning of the war.

Dmitry Medvedev's threats

On Monday, Dmitry Medvedev accused Donald Trump of engaging in a “game of ultimatums” and reminded him that Russia still possesses "last-resort nuclear strike capabilities" inherited from the Soviet era, in response to a previous warning from Trump, who had told him to “watch his words”.

Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Medvedev has established himself as one of the Kremlin's most belligerent voices against the West. Although his critics inside and outside Russia consider him a reckless and uncontrolled actor, some Western diplomats believe that his statements partly reflect the prevailing thinking at the highest decision-making levels of the Kremlin.