Trump orders U.S. nuclear subs repositioned over statements from ex-Russian leader Medvedev

President Donald Trump listens during an event to sign an executive order restarting the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON — In a warning to Russia, U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he’s ordering the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines “based on the highly provocative statements” of the country’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev, who has raised the prospect of war online.

Trump posted on his social media site that, based on the “highly provocative statements” from Medvedev, he had “ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.”

The president added, “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”

It wasn’t clear what impact Trump’s order would have on U.S. nuclear subs, which are routinely on patrol in the world’s hotspots, but it comes at a delicate moment in the Trump administration’s relations with Moscow.

Trump said later Friday that he was alarmed by Medvedev’s attitude.

“He’s got a fresh mouth,” Trump said in an interview with Newsmax.

Trump has said that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made. He cut his 50-day deadline for action to 10 days, with that window set to expire next week.

The post about the sub repositioning came after Trump, in the wee hours of Thursday morning, had posted that Medvedev was a “failed former President of Russia” and warned him to “watch his words.” Medvedev responded hours later by writing, “Russia is right on everything and will continue to go its own way.”

And that back-and-forth started earlier this week when Medvedev wrote, “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10” and added, “He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country.”

Asked as he was leaving the White House on Friday evening for a weekend at his estate in New Jersey about where he was repositioning the subs, Trump didn’t offer any specifics.

“We had to do that. We just have to be careful,” he said. “A threat was made, and we didn’t think it was appropriate, so I have to be very careful.”

Trump also said, “I do that on the basis of safety for our people” and “we’re gonna protect our people.” He later added of Medvedev, “He was talking about nuclear.”

“When you talk about nuclear, we have to be prepared,” Trump said. “And we’re totally prepared.” He told Newsmax that the submarines were being moved “closer to Russia.”

Medvedev was Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, while Vladimir Putin was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and then stepped aside to let him run again.

Now deputy chairman of Russia’s National Security Council, which Putin chairs, Medvedev has been known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since the start of the war in 2022. That’s a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive.

Medvedev has frequently wielded nuclear threats and lobbed insults at Western leaders on social media. Some observers have argued that with his extravagant rhetoric, Medvedev is seeking to score political points with Putin and Russian military hawks.

One such example before the latest spat with Trump came on July 15, after Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via its NATO allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow. Medvedev posted then, “Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care.”

Will Weissert, The Associated Press

Associated Press writer Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Darlene Superville in Bridgewater, N.J., contributed to this report.