Following a series of heated exchanges, U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the repositioning of two nuclear submarines. The day before, Trump had issued an ultimatum to Russia, threatening economic sanctions if a ceasefire is not reached by next Friday, August 8. In response, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, described Trump’s threat as “a step towards war.” Trump then replied on Truth Social, stating, “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”
On Friday, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he had ordered two U.S. “Nuclear Submarines” to be repositioned to “appropriate regions.” He cited what he called “highly provocative” comments from Medvedev as the reason for his action, which he framed as a precaution. “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,” he wrote.
Despite having promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours during his campaign, Trump’s discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin have so far failed to produce any results. The details of Trump’s submarine order remain vague; he did not specify whether the submarines are nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed, nor did he reveal their location, which is consistent with U.S. military protocol. Security analysts are currently viewing the move as a rhetorical threat rather than a military one, noting that the U.S. already has nuclear-powered submarines deployed globally that are capable of deterring Russia.
Trump’s move appears to be primarily driven by his frustration with the lack of progress in peace talks. In this particular instance, a public dispute on social media with Medvedev seemed to have pushed him to take action. The two have been engaged in a war of words for some time, with Medvedev recently warning on X that Trump was playing an “ultimatum game” with Russia and that each new ultimatum was “a threat and a step towards war.”
Russia has not yet issued an official response to Trump’s order. However, a senior Russian lawmaker, Viktor Vodolatsky, claimed that Russia possesses “significantly more nuclear submarines” than the U.S. and that American submarines have “long been under their control.” This claim notwithstanding, it remains to be seen whether this latest action will lead to a new meeting with Putin, much like a similar submarine maneuver during Trump’s first term preceded a meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
