Trump orders nuclear submarines to move amid escalating tensions with Moscow

New Delhi, Aug 02: Washington DC has escalated its military posture following a sharp war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. On Friday, Trump announced that he had directed two nuclear submarines to be repositioned to unspecified locations, citing what he described as “highly provocative” remarks by Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, reports international media.

While Trump did not clarify whether the vessels were nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed, nor where they were being sent, his decision highlights rising strategic tensions between the two nuclear superpowers. The move follows a series of increasingly hostile exchanges between Trump and Medvedev on social media, including threats and personal attacks.

Medvedev recently lashed out at Trump’s ultimatum demanding that Russia agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face expanded sanctions, warning that such ultimatums amounted to direct threats. On Thursday, he invoked the notion of a “dead hand” response, a term widely associated with Russia’s automatic nuclear retaliation system, further fueling alarm in Western capitals as reported by the BBC.

The Kremlin has yet to issue an official statement on Trump’s submarine deployment, but a senior Russian lawmaker dismissed the move as militarily insignificant. According to TASS, quoted by PTI, Viktor Vodolatsky, a member of the State Duma, said there are already enough Russian nuclear submarines patrolling the world's oceans to counter any American assets.

“The number of Russian nuclear submarines in the world's oceans is significantly higher than the American ones, and the subs that US President Donald Trump ordered to be redirected... have long been under their control. So no response from the Russian Federation... is required,” he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Russia’s financial markets reacted nervously to the U.S. move, with stocks falling sharply after Trump’s announcement. Moscow-based analysts say the Kremlin is likely to avoid an immediate public escalation but could reinforce its own military readiness in private.

The Trump administration has been intensifying pressure on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, setting successive deadlines and threatening economic retaliation. Most recently, Trump issued an August 8 deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to initiate a ceasefire, following earlier warnings in July of steep tariffs on Russian oil and exports.

Russia and the United States maintain the world’s largest nuclear arsenals and operate fleets of ballistic missile submarines designed for second-strike retaliation. Political analysts say that the current episode marks one of the most pointed nuclear signalling efforts by a U.S. president since the Ukraine war began in 2022. With strategic stability appearing increasingly fragile, international observers have urged both nations to de-escalate the rhetoric and resume diplomatic engagement.

However, with the U.S. President more busy with his tariff programme and sanctions, and Russia showing no signs of shifting its position in Ukraine, tensions are expected to remain high.