WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump issued a warning to Russia, announcing on Friday that he has ordered the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines. This decision is a response to “highly provocative statements” made by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president, who has hinted at the possibility of war online.

Trump shared on his social media platform that due to Medvedev’s “highly provocative statements,” he decided to have “two Nuclear Submarines positioned in strategic areas, prepared for the possibility that these reckless and inflammatory statements may be more than just rhetoric.”

The president added, “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”

The effect of Trump’s order on U.S. nuclear submarines remains uncertain, as these vessels are regularly deployed in global hotspots. However, the move comes at a sensitive time in the Trump administration’s relations with Moscow.

Trump said later Friday that he was alarmed by Medvedev’s attitude.

“He’s got a fresh mouth,” Trump said in an interview with Newsmax.

Trump has mentioned that special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Russia to urge Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its conflict with Ukraine, warning of new economic sanctions if no progress is made. He has also reduced his original 50-day deadline for action to 10 days, with the deadline expiring next week.

The submarine reposting announcement followed Trump’s early Thursday morning post, where he labeled Medvedev a “failed former President of Russia” and advised him to “choose his words carefully.” Medvedev responded hours later, asserting, “Russia is right in all matters and will continue on its own path.”

This exchange was sparked earlier in the week when Medvedev commented, “Trump is playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10” and added, “He should remember two things: 1. Russia is not Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not with Ukraine, but with his own country.”

Asked as he was leaving the White House on Friday evening for a weekend at his estate in New Jersey about where he was repositioning the subs, Trump didn’t offer any specifics.

“We had to do that. We just have to be careful,” he said. “A threat was made, and we didn’t think it was appropriate, so I have to be very careful.”

Trump also said, “I do that on the basis of safety for our people” and “we’re gonna protect our people.” He later added of Medvedev, “He was talking about nuclear.”

“When you talk about nuclear, we have to be prepared,” Trump said. “And we’re totally prepared.” He told Newsmax that the submarines were being moved “closer to Russia.”

Medvedev was Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, while Vladimir Putin was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and then stepped aside to let him run again.

Now deputy chairman of Russia’s National Security Council, which Putin chairs, Medvedev has been known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since the start of the war in 2022. That’s a U-turn from his presidency, when he was seen as liberal and progressive.

Medvedev has frequently wielded nuclear threats and lobbed insults at Western leaders on social media. Some observers have argued that with his extravagant rhetoric, Medvedev is seeking to score political points with Putin and Russian military hawks.

One such example before the latest spat with Trump came on July 15, after Trump announced plans to supply Ukraine with more weapons via its NATO allies and threatened additional tariffs against Moscow. Medvedev posted then, “Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin. The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn’t care.”

___

Associated Press writer Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Darlene Superville in Bridgewater, N.J., contributed to this report.