(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has ordered two nuclear submarines to be repositioned near Russia, citing a social media post by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as the reason.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump described Medvedev’s comments as “highly provocative” and warned that “words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences.” He stated that the submarine deployment was a precautionary measure “just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.”

The move comes amid a heated exchange between Trump and Medvedev, who is currently the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council. Although Trump did not specify which statements triggered the response, it appears to be linked to a post Medvedev made on Thursday.

Medvedev was replying to an earlier Truth Social post in which Trump called him a “failed” leader and advised him to “watch his words.” In response, Medvedev mocked what he called Trump’s “nervous” reaction and claimed it demonstrated that “Russia is on the right path.”

Medvedev also made a veiled reference to Trump’s previous remarks about the “dead economies” of India and Russia, comparing them to “the walking dead.” He further alluded to Russia’s Cold War-era ‘Perimetr’ system — nicknamed the “Dead Hand” — an alleged automated nuclear retaliation mechanism that could launch a full strike if Russia’s command structure were destroyed in an initial attack.

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