Overview

• President Donald Trump ordered two U.S. nuclear submarines to reposition in “appropriate regions” near Russia in response to Dmitry Medvedev’s highly provocative comments about nuclear capabilities.
• The White House declined to specify when, where or which classes of submarines were involved, citing a deliberate strategy of ambiguity.
• The deployment reinforces Trump’s 10-day deadline for Russia to agree to a Ukraine ceasefire or face new tariffs on its oil and energy imports.
• Russian lawmaker Viktor Vodolatsky downplayed the move by boasting that Moscow fields a larger and more powerful nuclear submarine fleet.
• Special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Moscow in the coming days to press Russian leaders for progress toward ending the war in Ukraine.