US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in regions near Russia in response to threats from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
"I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump and Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, traded taunts in recent days after Trump on Tuesday said Russia had "10 days from today" to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit, along with its oil buyers, with tariffs.
Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in Ukraine, has shown no sign that it will comply with Trump's deadline.
Medvedev recalls Russian nuclear capabilities in Trump taunts
On Thursday, Medvedev taunted Trump in a Telegram post, saying that Russia would continue with its campaign against Ukraine.
"If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right and will continue to proceed along its own path," he wrote.
"And about India's and Russia's 'dead economies' and 'entering very dangerous territory' – well, let him remember his favorite movies about The Walking Dead, as well as how dangerous the fabled 'Dead Hand' can be."
The Dead Hand is a reference to the former Soviet Union's semi-automatic nuclear missile launch system. It remains in use in the modern-day Russian Federation.
This came after Trump told Medvedev to be mindful of his words after Medvedev alleged that the "game of ultimatums" between the two countries brought the US and Russia closer to war.
"Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!," Trump wrote on Truth Social.