By Jack Phillips
Contributing Writer
President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that U.S. nuclear submarines are “in the region” of Russia, several days after he ordered the submarines to be moved in response to comments made by a top Russian official.
Late last week, Trump confirmed in a post on Truth Social that he would reposition two nuclear submarines following what he termed as “highly provocative” remarks made by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who is currently the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
When asked about the submarines on Monday, Trump told reporters: “I’ve already put out a statement, and the answer is, they are in the region, yeah, where they have to be.”
Trump said that regarding Medvedev’s comment, “a threat was made that we didn’t think was appropriate, so I have to be very careful.” He added that “a threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we’re going to protect our people.”
The president, who was largely echoing his statement released on Truth Social on Friday, did not say what comment from Medvedev was controversial.
However, he likely was referring to a Thursday statement made by Medvedev on Telegram suggesting Moscow still possesses Soviet-era nuclear weapons and strike capabilities that can be used as a last resort, suggesting that Russia should continue on its current policy trajectory in Ukraine.
“If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right and will continue to proceed along its own path,” Medvedev said in a post on Telegram, according to a translation from Russian to English.
Trump should remember, Medvedev added, “how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be” — a reference to a secretive semi-automated Russian command system designed to launch Moscow’s nuclear missiles if its leadership had been taken out in a decapitating strike by a foe.
Trump on July 29 said Russia had “10 days from today” to agree to a cease-fire in Ukraine or be targeted with tariffs, including its oil buyers. Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace, which Kyiv says amount to demanding its capitulation, has not so far indicated it will comply with Trump’s deadline.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social that day, said he didn’t care what India — one of Russia’s biggest oil buyers along with China — did with Russia.
“They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way,” he said.
A former president of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Russia’s prime minister from 2012 to 2020, Medvedev 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.
Meanwhile, Trump also rebuked Medvedev in July, accusing him of throwing around the “N word,” referring to nuclear weapons, after he criticized U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear program and said countries were waiting to supply Iran with nuclear warheads.
In his post last week on nuclear submarines, Trump again warned Medvedev: “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances.”
