U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he had ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines in response to "provocative" comments by a senior Russian official.
"Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, 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 posted on his Truth Social platform.
"Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances," he added.
Trump's comments continue an ongoing war of words on social media between the US president and Russian former President Medvedev.
Medvedev served as Russian president from 2008 to 2012, between President Vladimir Putin's terms in power, and is now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council.
He attracted Trump's ire when he said the US president's threat to impose tariffs on buyers of Russian oil, such as India, constituted an "ultimatum game" whereby "each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war" between Moscow and Washington.
On Thursday, Medvedev wrote in a post on Telegram that, "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 also said Trump should remember "how dangerous the fabled 'Dead Hand' can be" — a reference to a secretive, semi-automated, Soviet-era command system designed to launch Moscow's nuclear missiles in the event of its leadership being eliminated.
