In Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump of the United States said today that the U.S. will send nuclear submarines in response to what he called “highly provocative” comments made by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, had a heated argument with Trump online.
President Trump said that the nuclear submarines will be put in the right places “just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.” In a post on Truth Social, he stressed how serious the situation was by saying, “Words are very important and can often have unintended effects. I hope this will not be one of those cases.”
This stronger language comes after the two leaders had a fight online not too long ago. A few days before, Medvedev had gone on social media platform X to say that Trump was playing a “ultimatum game.” Medvedev said in his article that Russia was not “Israel or even Iran,” and that “each new ultimatum” from Trump would be seen as a “threat and a step toward war.” He told Trump explicitly, “Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country.” Don’t travel down the path of Sleepy Joe!
Trump had given Medvedev a harsh warning to “watch his words” after his angry comments. He had said in public, “Tell Medvedev, the former President of Russia who failed and still thinks he’s President, to be careful what he says.” He is going into really perilous terrain.
The rising tension comes at a time when Trump is still trying to conclude the three-year-long war between Russia and Ukraine. Last month, the US President gave both countries 50 days (later cut to 10–12 days) to strike a peace settlement. He warned Russia and its allies that they would face more penalties if they didn’t achieve an agreement.
The use of nuclear submarines is a big and very rare step up in the rhetoric and military posturing between two of the world’s biggest nuclear powers. It shows how bad their diplomatic ties are.