'Be very cautious with nuclear rhetoric': Russia urges caution after Trump orders nuclear submarine deployment

Russia on Monday called for restraint after US President Donald Trump said he had ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines in response to remarks made by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

Trump’s announcement followed a heated online exchange, with the US President alleging that Medvedev had issued “highly provocative” comments. Trump said the submarines would be placed in “appropriate regions,” though he did not clarify whether the vessels were nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed. Nor did he specify their location, details typically withheld by the US military.

"Russia is very attentive to the topic of nuclear non-proliferation. And we believe that everyone should be very, very cautious with nuclear rhetoric," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

The Trump-Medvedev clash comes as tensions escalate over Washington’s warning to Moscow to halt its offensive in Ukraine or face new US economic sanctions targeting Russia’s few remaining trade partners.

Medvedev, a senior figure in Russia’s security establishment and known for his hardline anti-Western stance, responded harshly to Trump’s warning.

"Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country," he said, accusing Trump of “playing the ultimatum game” and cautioning that he “should remember” Russia’s military capabilities.

Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, has not posted on social media since the verbal sparring with Trump. He served as president from 2008 to 2012, during which time Vladimir Putin remained Russia’s dominant political force despite constitutional term limits.

Meanwhile, Ukraine welcomed Trump’s move.

"The concept of peace through strength works," wrote Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"The moment American nuclear submarines appeared, one Russian drunk -- who had just been threatening nuclear war on X -- suddenly went silent."