Trump warns Medvedev – and moves nuclear submarines closer to Russia

Washington. In response to statements by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, US President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered the tactical relocation of two nuclear-powered submarines. When asked by a journalist from the ultra-conservative US broadcaster Newsmax whether the submarines would then be closer to Russia, he replied: "Yes, they are closer to Russia."

Trump announced the move on Friday in the context of his dispute with Medvedev on his Truth Social platform. The relocation was being done "only in case these foolish and provocative statements amount to more than that," the Republican wrote. Trump initially did not specify where exactly the submarines would be relocated, only referring to "appropriate regions."

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The Republican also did not specify which submarines were involved. According to a previous report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service, the Navy has both nuclear-powered submarines with and without nuclear weapons on board.

The public dispute between Trump and Medvedev has been dragging on for days. The starting point was Trump's shortening of his ultimatum to Kremlin President Vladimir Putin from 50 to 10 days: within this time, a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, which has been attacked by Moscow, is to be achieved. The deadline expires at the end of next week – after which Trump intends to impose sanctions on Russia's trading partners if no agreement is reached.

Medvedev then threatened, among other things, a direct military confrontation between Russia and the US on Platform X. He argued that any ultimatum would be a step toward war. He also referred to Trump as "Grandpa." Medvedev has been known since the beginning of the war for his notorious anti-Western remarks—sometimes accompanied by nuclear threats.

Trump later told reporters about the deployment of the submarines: "Well, we had to do it." He said an inappropriate threat was made—therefore, the US must be cautious. "So I'm doing this for the safety of our people." Medvedev had spoken about "nuclear"—and when it comes to that, the US must be prepared. "And we are absolutely prepared," Trump emphasized.

When asked whether his view of Putin had changed, Trump told Newsmax: "He's obviously a tough guy." His assessment of him hasn't changed in that regard. But he was surprised that he and Putin had had numerous good conversations that could have led to an end to the war—and suddenly, bombs were flying.

The US President announced on Thursday that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, would travel to Russia after his visit to Israel. He did not provide details of Witkoff's planned trip. On Friday, Witkoff initially remained in the Middle East and assessed the situation in the Gaza Strip.

RND/dpa