Following a war of words on social media with the former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian President and current deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, US President Trump announced on Friday (1st August) that he ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines in “the appropriate regions”. Writing on Truth Social, Trump said that he ordered the deployment of the nuclear submarines following the “foolish and inflammatory statements” of Medvedev on social media.
A heated exchange has been going on between the two global leaders over the past few days regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, things went further south after Dmitry Medvedev made a Telegram post on Thursday (31st July) invoking the Soviet-era “Dead Hand” automated nuclear system, referring to a Cold War-era doomsday protocol.
Besides, Medvedev also previously wrote on X, “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… He should remember 2 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 road!”
Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… He should remember 2 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 road!— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) July 28, 2025
Reacting strongly to Medvedev’s statement during an interview, Trump said, “When you mention the word ‘nuclear’… my eyes light up. And I say, we better be careful, because it’s the ultimate threat.” He also confirmed that submarines were deployed closer to Russia.”We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines. I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that,” the US President added.
Since assuming the office of the US President in January this year, Donald Trump has been blatantly trying to arm-twist countries by threatening them with reciprocal tariffs or military actions. Recently, he imposed a punitive 25% tariff on India after the latter refused to be bullied into stopping oil trade with Russia. A spiteful Trump not only imposed the tariffs on India but also ridiculed the two countries by calling their economies “dead economies”. “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India; their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way,” the second-time US President posted on Truth Social.
Trump’s bullying tactics and Russia’s firm response have brought the countries to loggerheads once again, decades after the Cold War era. The US President’s deployment of nuclear submarines against Russia is reminiscent of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, which went on for 13 days.
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 had the potential of pushing the US and the Soviet Union into a full-fledged war. This was the point in the entire history of the Cold War when Washington, DC and the Kremlin came the closest to a nuclear war.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis or the Caribbean Crisis, began when the United States, led by then-President J.F. Kennedy, planned to overthrow the Cuban government. For this end, the US deployed Jupiter nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey in the vicinity of Russia in 1961. It trained a paramilitary force comprising Cubans in exile, who shared the US’s intentions of overthrowing the Cuban government with the US. The paramilitary force of Cuban expatriates was to invade Cuba under the lead of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
In November 1961, the US government started the Cuban Project and created unrest in Cuba by triggering terrorism and sabotage. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union’s apprehension was that Cuba might drift towards China in the face of US-caused internal unrest.
Compelled by the circumstances at the time, the Premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev and the Cuban President Fidel Castro met in July 1962. To ward off the possibility of US invasion and the possible overthrow of the Cuban government, both leaders agreed for the Soviet nuclear missiles to be set up on Cuban territory. Soon the construction of the missile facilities commenced.
In October 1962, a U-2 spy plane of the US captured visuals of missile facilities. As a result, Kennedy convened a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM) comprising the National Security Council and other advisors. The council advised Kennedy to launch an air strike on the Caribbean territory to hinder the Soviet missile supplies and subsequently invade the country.
Kennedy was aware that US aggression on the Cuban territory meant entering a full-scale war with the nuclear-armed Soviet Union. In a display of remarkable cool-headedness and political clarity, Kennedy opted for a less aggressive path, contrary to the advice of the council, and did not go ahead with the idea of a Cuban invasion. Kennedy’s political wisdom avoided a declaration of war with the Soviet Union, which could have impacted the entire world. He adopted a softer approach and ordered a naval blockade, which he referred to as “quarantine”. The entire crisis lasted from October 16 to October 18, 1962.
Eventually, an agreement was reached between the US and the Soviet Union, according to which the former declared not to invade Cuba and the latter agreed to dismantle their offensive weapons in Cuba.
Whether Trump has the temperament to handle the US-Russia tensions with composure
Donald Trump is known for his controversial way of speaking, which is expected of a head of state. He is often not careful with his words and often indulges in verbal wars on social media. In his second term as the US President, which started earlier this year, he adopted an aggressive tariff policy against the countries that have trade relations with the US. He imposed reciprocal tariffs on several countries, for which he was widely criticised by trade experts who saw his moves as having the potential of kickstarting a global trade war. With such a controversial reputation and track record, it remains to be seen how he will handle the tensions between the US and Russia.
