Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines on Aug 1 in an extraordinary escalation of what had been an online war of words with a Russian official over Ukraine and tariffs.

Mr Trump and Mr Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council and a former president, have been sparring on social media for days.

Mr Trump’s post on his Truth Social platform abruptly took that spat into the very real – and rarely publicised – sphere of nuclear forces.

“Based on the highly provocative statements”, Mr Trump said, 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 79-year-old Republican President posted: “Words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”

Mr Trump did not say in his post whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military.

But in an interview with Newsmax that aired on the night of Aug 1, Mr Trump said the submarines were “closer to Russia”.

“We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines,” he said. “I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that.”

Mr Trump’s remarks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had started mass-producing its hypersonic nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile and could deploy them to Belarus, a close Russian ally neighbouring Ukraine, by the year end.

The nuclear sabre-rattling came against the backdrop of an

Aug 8 deadline set by Mr Trump for Russia

to take steps to end the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions.

Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia’s onslaught against its pro-Western neighbour continues to unfold at full bore.

An AFP analysis on Aug 1 showed that Russian forces had launched a record number of drones at Ukraine in July.

Russian attacks have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians since June. A combined missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on July 31 killed 31 people, rescuers said.

Mr Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said on Aug 1 that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly 3½-year-old invasion were “unchanged”.

Those demands include that Ukraine abandon territory and end ambitions to join Nato.

Mr Putin, speaking alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarusian and Russian specialists “have chosen a place for future positions” of the Oreshnik missiles.

“Work is now under way to prepare these positions. So, most likely, we will close this issue by the end of the year,” he added.

Insults, nuclear rhetoric

The United States and Russia control the vast majority of the world’s nuclear weaponry, and Washington keeps nuclear-armed submarines on permanent patrol as part of its so-called nuclear triad of land, sea and air-launched weapons.

Mr Trump told Newsmax that Mr Medvedev’s “nuclear” reference prompted him to reposition US nuclear submarines.

“When you mention the word ‘nuclear’... my eyes light up. And I say, we better be careful, because it’s the ultimate threat,” Mr Trump said in the interview.

Mr Medvedev had criticised the US leader on his Telegram account on July 31 and alluded to the “fabled ‘Dead Hand’” – a reference to a highly secret automated system put in place during the Cold War to control the country’s nuclear weapons.

This came after Mr Trump lashed out at what he called the “dead economies” of Russia and India.

Mr Medvedev had also harshly criticised Mr Trump’s threat of new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

Accusing Mr Trump of “playing the ultimatum game”, he posted on July 28 on social media platform X that the US President “should remember” Russia is a formidable force.

Mr Trump responded by calling Mr Medvedev “the failed former president of Russia, who thinks he’s still president”.

Mr Medvedev should “watch his words”, Mr Trump posted at midnight in Washington on July 30. “He’s entering very dangerous territory!”

Mr Medvedev is a vocal proponent of Russia’s war – and generally antagonistic to relations with the West.

He served as president between 2008 and 2012, effectively acting as a placeholder for Mr Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and remain in de facto power.

The one-time reformer has rebranded over the years as an avid online troller, touting often extreme versions of official Kremlin nationalist messaging.

But his influence within the Russian political system remains limited.

In Kyiv on Aug 1, residents held a day of mourning for the 31 people, including five children, killed the day before, most of whom were in a nine-storey apartment block torn open by a missile.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said only Mr Putin could end the war and renewed his call for a meeting between the two leaders.

“The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia’s readiness,” he wrote on X. AFP