Trump orders nuclear submarines moved after Russian 'provocative statements'

By Ryan Patrick Jones and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in "the appropriate regions" in response to statements from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

"Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev ... 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," Trump said in a social media post.

He added: "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances."

He did not specify what he meant by "nuclear submarines." Submarines may be nuclear-powered, or armed with nuclear missiles.

It is extremely rare for the U.S. military to discuss the deployment and location of U.S. submarines given their sensitive mission in nuclear deterrence. The U.S. Navy declined comment. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump and Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, have traded taunts in recent days after Trump on Tuesday said Russia had "10 days from today" to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit with tariffs, along with its oil buyers.

Medvedev on Thursday said Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort, after Trump told Medvedev to "watch his words."

Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in Ukraine, has given no indication that it will comply with Trump's deadline of August 8.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow hoped for more peace talks with Ukraine but that the momentum of the war was in its favor. He made no reference to the deadline.

Trump, who in the past touted good relations with Putin, has expressed mounting frustration with the Russian leader, accusing him of "bullshit" and describing Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine as disgusting.

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. Kremlin critics deride him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin policy-making circles.

Trump also rebuked Medvedev in July, accusing him of throwing around the "N (nuclear) word" after the Russian official criticized U.S. strikes on Iran and said "a number of countries" were ready to supply Iran with nuclear warheads. "I guess that's why Putin's 'THE BOSS'", Trump said at the time.

The U.S. president took office in January having promised to end the Ukraine war on Day One, but has not been able to get Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.

Only six countries operate nuclear-powered submarines: the U.S., the UK, Russia, China, France and India.

The U.S. Navy has 71 commissioned submarines including 53 fast attack submarines, 14 ballistic-missile submarines, and four guided-missile submarines. All of them are nuclear-powered, but only some carry nuclear weapon-tipped missiles.

(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto, and Phil Stewart, Mike Stone and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)