US nuclear submarines 'closing in' on Russia: Trump warns 'I want to be ready' as he ramps up tension in chilling war of words with former Russian president
Mr Trump ordered the submarines, packed with nuclear warheads, towards Russian waters after an online spat with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev – now deputy chairman of Russia's National Security Council – who said: 'Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war.'
The sabre-rattling came after Mr Medvedev wrote on social media platform Telegram that Russia could invoke 'Dead Hand' – a doomsday program with the ability to automatically launch a nuclear counterstrike against major US cities, even if Moscow and President Vladimir Putin are wiped out.
Mr Medvedev wrote: 'As for the talk about the 'dead economies' of India and Russia, and 'entering dangerous territory' – maybe he should recall his favourite movies about 'the walking dead,' and also remember how dangerous the so-called 'Dead Hand', that does not exist in nature, could be.
'He should remember two things: 1: Russia isn't Israel or even Iran. 2: Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don't go down the Sleepy Joe [a reference to former President Joe Biden ] road!'
Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: 'Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions. Words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances.
'A threat was made… so we have to be very careful. We're going to protect our people. He's entering very dangerous territory!'
On Friday, in an interview with cable channel Newsmax, Mr Trump added: 'The subs are getting closer to Russia. We always want to be ready. I want to make sure his words are only words and nothing more than that.'
Last night the White House, Pentagon and Downing Street refused to comment on the escalating tensions, which come just days before Mr Trump's August 8 deadline for Putin to declare a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine.
The US President has vowed to impose 'devastating' sanctions on Russia and her closest trading partners if his demands are not met.
A source close to the President told the MoS: 'Trump is running out of patience with Russia. He promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office and clearly that has not happened.
'Now he's threatening to impose sanctions if Putin doesn't declare a ceasefire and come to the negotiating table to discuss peace.'
While the location of the subs is unknown, the US Navy has 71 nuclear-powered submarines in its fleet, all of which can travel thousands of miles without resurfacing.
By comparison, the Russian Navy fields fewer than 30 nuclear‑powered submarines. Military experts said Mr Trump will most likely have deployed two Ohio -class vessels.
Each is armed with up to 20 Trident II D5 missiles that can deliver multiple thermonuclear warheads with a range of up to 7,000 miles.
Sources last night told the Washington Post that Russia is 'seeking clarity' from America about Mr Trump's 'actions and intentions', with Russian officials scrambling to assess the significance of the subs' deployment.
RIA Novosti, a state-controlled news agency which has been called 'Putin's mouthpiece', confirmed it had sent enquiries to the White House, Pentagon, US Central Command and the National Security Council, but had not received a response.
Mr Trump's dramatic doubling down came after the deadliest Russian air strike on Kyiv this year, when 31 people were killed in a single missile strike on an apartment block in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Five children, the youngest aged just two, were among the dead.
Mr Trump called the air strike 'disgusting' and announced he was sending his special envoy Steve Witkoff to the region to try and negotiate a ceasefire.
Russian lawmaker Viktor Vodolatsky said there are enough Russian nuclear submarines in the high seas to tackle the two American subs.
'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 to the appropriate regions have long been under their control,' he said yesterday.
'So no response from the Russian Federation to the American leader's statement about the submarines is required.'
Retired US Marine Colonel Mark Cancian called Mr Trump's announcement that he had sent subs steaming towards Russian waters 'highly unusual'.
He said: 'This is signalling in its purest form.'
Others urged restraint, saying Mr Medvedev does not speak for Putin.
Oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, now a Putin critic living in London, said: 'When you see his [Mr Medvedev's] latest apocalyptic tweet about turning European capitals to dust, remember: this isn't strategic communication from the Kremlin. It's the rambling of a man drowning his terror in vodka.'
The exchange of nuclear threats and references to Cold War-era systems evoked echoes of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the closest the world has come to full-scale nuclear war.
The 13-day crisis occurred after Fidel Castro overthrew the US-backed government and aligned his new regime with the Soviet Union.
President John F. Kennedy said US spy planes had spotted Soviet nuclear missile installations and threw a blockade around Cuba, even as Russian ships carrying additional warheads steamed towards the island, 230 miles off the tip of Florida.
Nuclear bombers on both sides were put on round-the-clock alert, provoking terror in the US with schoolchildren being taught what to do in a nuclear attack.
Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev eventually backed down and turned his ships around.
He agreed to remove the nuclear missile installations in Cuba, in return for the US not invading the island.
Mr Trump has spoken of his admiration for JFK, saying: 'He made the Soviets blink first.'
A source said: 'Whether this latest move leads to a breakthrough with Putin remains to be seen.'
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