WASHINGTON, Aug 2 — US President Donald Trump on Friday said he ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in "the appropriate regions" in response to remarks from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries.
Security analysts called Trump's move a rhetorical escalation with Moscow, but not necessarily a military one, given that the US already has nuclear-powered submarines that are deployed and capable of striking Russia.
Medvedev on Thursday said Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort, after Trump had told Medvedev to "watch his words".
"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 said in Friday's social media post.
He added: "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances."
Asked later by reporters why he ordered the submarine movement, Trump said: "A threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we're going to protect our people."
The US Navy and the Pentagon declined to comment about Trump's remarks or on whether submarines had been moved. It is extremely rare for the US military to discuss the deployment and location of its submarines given their sensitive mission in nuclear deterrence.
Trump's comments came at a time of mounting tension between Washington and Moscow as Trump grows frustrated with what he sees as Putin's failure to negotiate an end to his more than three-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
Any talk by a US president about potential nuclear military capabilities raises concerns, security experts said, noting that the US has historically refrained from matching Russia's nuclear-sabre rattling given the risks surrounding the world's most devastating weaponry.
The United States has a total of 14 Ohio Class nuclear-powered submarines, each capable of carrying up to 24 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles that can deliver multiple thermonuclear warheads up to 7,400km.
Between 8 and 10 Ohio Class submarines are deployed at any one time, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative arms control group.
Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, has emerged as one of the Kremlin's most outspoken anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Kremlin critics deride him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin policy-making circles.
US officials had told Reuters prior to Trump's latest remarks that Medvedev's comments were not being taken as a serious threat, and it is unclear what drove Trump's latest announcement beyond the public clash between the two on social media.
