President Donald Trump on Friday said that he ordered two nuclear submarines “to be positioned in the appropriate regions” in response to warnings made to the United States this week by high-ranking Russian official Dmitry Medvedev.
Medvedev in a social media post on Monday wrote that each new ultimatum that Trump makes about Russia to force an end to its war on Ukraine “is a threat and a step towards war.”
“Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,” Medvedev wrote on X that day.
Trump earlier Monday had said he was cutting from 50 days to less than two weeks his deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face big “secondary tariffs” on Moscow’s trade partners.
On Friday, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, “Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, 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.”
“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances,” Trump said. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
FILE PHOTO: Russia’s Security Council’s Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev attends a meeting of the Council for Science and Education at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in the Moscow region’s city of Dubna, Russia June 13, 2024.
Alexei Maishev | Via Reuters
Medvedev, in his tweet Monday, wrote, “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… 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,” Medvedev wrote.
“Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!” Medvedev added, referring to former President Joe Biden.
Trump in a Truth Social post on Thursday warned Medvedev about his rhetoric, while also taking a shot on Russia’s trading partnership with India.
I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” Trump wrote. “We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World.
“Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together,” Trump said. “Let’s keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!”
Medvedev responded Thursday with a statement saying, “If a few words from a former Russian president can provoke such a nervous reaction from the sitting and supposedly formidable president of the United States, then clearly Russia is entirely in the right and will continue on its chosen path.”
“As for his remarks about the ‘dead economies’ of India and Russia and ‘venturing into dangerous territory,’ perhaps he should revisit his favorite movies about the living dead and recall just how dangerous the mythical ‘Dead Hand’ can be,” Medvedev said.
The Dead Hand is Russia’s system for automatically launching nuclear strikes if a nuclear attack is detected against the country.
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