What to Know About Trump’s Nuclear Submarine Message to Russia

The president said he ordered two nuclear submarines redeployed in response to ‘provocative statements’ by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The guided-missile submarine USS Ohio (SSGN 726) arrives at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton to begin a major maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Wash., on April 4, 2017. Jeremy Moore/Released/U.S. Navy

Last week, around the time President Donald Trump cut down his deadline for Russia to accept a cease-fire deal with Ukraine, he announced he had also ordered a pair of U.S. nuclear submarines to be repositioned to respond to a perceived threat by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Detailing the decision in an Aug. 1 post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Medvedev made “highly provocative statements.” Trump said he ordered the submarine movement “just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.”