Tensions between the US and Russia: from Trump's ultimatum to Putin to the rapprochement of nuclear submarines

The deployment of two US submarines in waters near Russia has set off alarm bells. US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of these two submarines on Friday, motivated by the "foolish" words of former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev , current Vice President of the Russian Security Council, who stated that "every new ultimatum" from Trump regarding negotiations to reach a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine is "a threat and a step towards war." The exchange of accusations and actions has thus led to an escalation of tension between both parties that, for now, does not seem to have a sign of being resolved.

It all began with Trump's ultimatum to Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The White House leader announced that he was reducing the deadline for Putin to sign a ceasefire agreement to 10 days , a period that began last Thursday. Moscow must reach an agreement by August 8 or face a new tariff hike from Trump.

Although there was no official response from Russian authorities, Medvedev asserted that "every new ultimatum" from Trump regarding negotiations to reach a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine was "a threat and a step toward war." "Trump is giving Russia an ultimatum: 50 days or 10? He should remember two things: Russia is not Israel, not even Iran. Every new ultimatum is a threat and a step toward war," added the current vice president of the Russian Security Council.

His words angered the US leader, prompting the deployment of two submarines near Russia. Trump, then, went so far as to call Medvedev's statements "foolish and incendiary." "In response to the provocative statements made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, he has ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines in the relevant regions," the White House leader explained on his Truth Social profile.

Furthermore, he emphasized that "words are very important" and can often have "unintended consequences." "I hope this isn't one of those cases," said the American leader, who admitted to having made this decision in case the statements by Russian authorities "went further."

The location of the submarines is unknown.

With the submarines deployed, the truth is that US authorities have not confirmed their exact location. They have merely mentioned that they are "near Russia," specifically, in the "corresponding regions." Trump himself stated this Saturday in an interview broadcast on the television channel Newsmax, where he also noted that Russia should be "careful" with the statements it makes.

Regarding Medvedev, the president has even called him a "big mouth." "A former Russian president, Medvedev, who now heads one of the most important councils, said some very bad things about nuclear energy. And when the word nuclear is mentioned, I start to think: 'Let's be cautious, because it's the ultimate threat.' He shouldn't have said that. He's a big mouth," he explained.

"We always want to be prepared. That's why I've sent two nuclear submarines to the region. I just want to make sure that their words are just words and nothing more," the US president added.

President Trump added that what Russia has said could even constitute "the ultimate threat" due to the possibility of a nuclear attack. He also reiterated that if a ceasefire is not reached by August 8, the United States will impose new sanctions on Russia. "We will impose sanctions, and he (Putin) is pretty good with sanctions. He knows how to avoid them," he stated.

It should be noted that Ukraine has suffered several attacks on its territory in recent days. Among them was a large-scale Russian airstrike against the capital, Kyiv, on the night of July 30-31, in which 31 people were killed and 159 injured.