Overview

• Trump announced on Truth Social that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in “appropriate zones” as a response to provocative Russian rhetoric
• The move followed Dmitri Medvedev’s references to a Cold War–era automated retaliation system and his warning that each U.S. ultimatum was “a threat and a step toward war”
• No public details were provided on whether the subs are nuclear-armed or solely nuclear-propelled, nor on their exact patrol areas
• Trump set a deadline for Moscow to end hostilities in Ukraine and threatened secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil
• U.S. naval forces are preparing the submarine repositioning even as analysts caution that the public announcement heightens risks of miscalculation and deeper escalation