The American president Donald Trump has ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned near Russia, he reports on Truth Social. Trump is doing this in response to threats from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
“I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the right regions, in case these stupid and inflammatory statements are more than that,” Trump writes on social media.
It is not clear whether the American president is referring to submarines powered by nuclear energy or submarines with nuclear warheads on board. In any case, it would be a provocative action.
Trump and Medvedev have criticized each other in recent days after the American president gave Russia a new deadline to end the war in Ukraine. Medvedev accused Trump on Monday of playing a “game of ultimatums” and reminded him that Russia still has nuclear assets from the Soviet era.
Trump then ordered Medvedev to “watch his words.” “Words are very important and can often have unintended consequences,” Trump writes on Truth Social on Friday. “I hope this is not the case.”
Medvedev, currently vice chairman of the Russian Security Council, is known as one of the most outspoken Kremlin politicians with a strong anti-Western stance. Critics of the Kremlin call him an erratic and irresponsible figure, while some Western diplomats say his statements provide insight into thinking within the highest Kremlin circles.
Trump advanced deadline for end of war
Trump moved up the deadline earlier this week to end the war in Ukraine. This deadline is now next Friday. If no deal is made, the United States will impose sanctions against Russia.
He was talking about “secondary levies”. This means that countries that import sanctioned goods from Russia will also be affected by the sanctions. It concerns levies of 100 percent.