Nuclear submarines dispatched by Trump in dispute with Russia
A significant escalation in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has occurred with the deployment of two nuclear submarines by former U.S. President Donald Trump. The move comes in response to statements made by Russian official Dmitry Medvedev, which Trump characterised as "highly provocative" and potentially inflammatory enough to warrant a show of military readiness.
Trump's ultimatum to Russia is for them to agree to peace within a shortened timeline or face intensified secondary sanctions and increased military posturing. The submarines are being moved to "appropriate regions" closer to Russia, though exact locations and capabilities remain undisclosed.
Medvedev, who served as president between 2008-2012 and is currently deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, criticised Trump's deadlines and threatened that ultimatums risk provoking conflict not just between Russia and Ukraine, but potentially involving the U.S. directly.
The deployment reflects the U.S. side’s readiness to escalate deterrence, emphasising that provocative rhetoric can trigger unintended consequences in this volatile situation. The U.S. and Russia control the vast majority of the world's nuclear weaponry, and Washington keeps nuclear-armed submarines on permanent patrol as part of its so-called nuclear triad of land, sea, and air-launched weapons.
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, a combined missile and drone attack early Thursday killed 31 people, including five children. Rescue workers pulled bodies from the debris on Friday, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his call for a meeting between him and Putin, stating that the United States has proposed this and Ukraine has supported it.
In the aftermath of the attack, residents of Kyiv held a day of mourning for the 31 killed, most of whom were in a nine-storey apartment block. Iryna Drozd, a 28-year-old mother of three, laid flowers at the site to commemorate the five children killed, the youngest of whom was two years old.
The online war of words between Trump and Medvedev continues, with Medvedev rebranding as an avid online troller, touting extreme versions of official Kremlin nationalist messaging. However, Medvedev warned Trump to watch his words, reminding him that Russia is a formidable force.
It is unclear whether Trump meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines in his post, but the deployment is both a strategic signaling move and a tangible increase in U.S. military presence near Russia, aimed at pressuring Russia to negotiate peace in Ukraine, while demonstrating U.S. resolve to respond to perceived threats from Russian officials.
Russian attacks have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians since June, and the ongoing conflict shows no signs of abating. The U.S. and Ukraine continue to call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, while Russia maintains its demands that Ukraine abandon territory and end ambitions to join NATO.
The U.S. has deployed nuclear submarines as a show of military readiness in response to potential inflammatory statements from Russian official Dmitry Medvedev, signifying a readiness to escalate deterrence in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. This move comes amid a heated online war of words between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Medvedev, with general news outlets covering this war-and-conflicts related event extensively. Meanwhile, politics surrounding the conflict continue, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewing his call for a meeting with Russian President Putin to discuss a peaceful resolution, as part of the general-news landscape.
