President Donald Trump said he ordered two U.S. nuclear submarines to reposition to “the appropriate regions” following what he said were “highly provocative statements” from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Trump’s comments come days after Medvedev, who is known to share provocative viewpoints on social media, warned that, “Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war.”
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“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. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I hope this will not be one of those instances.”
Trump announced on July 14 that he would implement “severe tariffs” on Russia unless a peace deal was reached between Russia and Ukraine by early September. However, earlier this week, Trump decided to shorten that time frame to 10-12 days.
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“You can’t ignore anything someone’s saying … he basically is not a relevant player in Russian politics,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of Medvedev this week. “He’s not a decision maker.”
Trump’s ultimatum toward Russian President Vladimir Putin comes after his first six months in office were spent unsuccessfully trying to find a negotiated settlement to the conflict. However, Putin has refused to come to the table to make a deal.