Trump moves US subs after ex-Russian leader’s ‘inflammatory’ remarks

In a warning to Russia, 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.

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 immediately 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 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.”

Medvedev was president from 2008 to 2012 while Putin was barred from seeking a second consecutive term but 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, a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive.

He 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.

Trump and Medvedev have gotten into online spats before.

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, “Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care.”

Earlier this week, he 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.”

Associated Press writer Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周五向俄罗斯发出警告，称他已下令重新部署两艘美国核潜艇，“这是基于俄罗斯前总统德米特里·梅德韦杰夫发表的极具挑衅性的言论”。

特朗普在他的社交媒体网站上发帖称，鉴于梅德韦杰夫发表了“极具挑衅性的言论”，他已“下令将两艘核潜艇部署在相应区域，以防这些愚蠢且煽动性的言论不仅仅是这些言论而已。”

总统补充道：“言辞非常重要，但往往会造成意想不到的后果，我希望这次不会是其中之一。”

目前尚不清楚特朗普的命令会对经常在世界热点地区巡逻的美国核潜艇产生什么影响，但这正值特朗普政府与莫斯科关系微妙之际。

特朗普表示，特使史蒂夫·威特科夫将前往俄罗斯，敦促莫斯科同意停止与乌克兰的战争，并威胁称，如果局势没有进展，将实施新的经济制裁。他将50天的行动期限缩短至10天，该期限将于下周到期。

在特朗普周四凌晨发帖称梅德韦杰夫是“失败的俄罗斯前总统”，并警告他“注意言辞”之后，有关潜艇重新定位的帖子随即发布。几个小时后，梅德韦杰夫回应道：“俄罗斯在所有事情上都是正确的，并将继续走自己的路。”

梅德韦杰夫在2008年至2012年担任俄罗斯总统，当时普京被禁止寻求连任，但他为了让普京再次参选而让位。如今，梅德韦杰夫是俄罗斯国家安全委员会副主席（该委员会由普京担任主席），自2022年战争爆发以来，他一直以发表挑衅性和煽动性言论而闻名，这与他担任总统期间被视为自由派和进步派的形象截然相反。

他经常在社交媒体上发出核威胁，并对西方领导人进行人身攻击。一些观察人士认为，梅德韦杰夫发表如此激烈的言论，意在博取普京和俄罗斯军方鹰派的政治支持。

特朗普和梅德韦杰夫此前就曾在网上发生过争执。

7月15日，在特朗普宣布计划通过北约盟国向乌克兰提供更多武器并威胁对莫斯科加征关税后，梅德韦杰夫发帖称：“特朗普向克里姆林宫发出了一场作秀式的最后通牒。世界为之震颤，预料到了后果。好战的欧洲感到失望。俄罗斯则毫不在意。”

本周早些时候，他写道：“特朗普正在对俄罗斯玩最后通牒游戏：50天还是10天”，并补充道：“他应该记住两件事：1. 俄罗斯不是以色列，甚至不是伊朗。2. 每一次新的最后通牒都是一种威胁，都是走向战争的一步。不是俄罗斯和乌克兰之间的战争，而是他自己国家的战争。”

美联社驻爱沙尼亚塔林记者达莎·利特维诺娃对本报道亦有贡献。