U.S. President Donald Trump said he has repositioned two American nuclear submarines "closer to Russia," citing what he called the “highly provocative” nuclear rhetoric of former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Trump disclosed the move in a Truth Social post late 1 Aug. and reiterated it in a televised Newsmax interview, declaring that the United States must be “totally prepared” for any escalation. The decision follows a sharp exchange in which Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, warned Washington to remember Moscow’s Cold-War-era "Dead Hand" last-resort strike system after Trump threatened new tariffs unless Russia agrees to a Ukraine cease-fire within 10 days. Trump said the deployment is a precaution should Medvedev’s words translate into action, and he hinted at further economic measures if progress is not made. Russian officials played down the move. A senior lawmaker in Moscow said the navy has “enough nuclear submarines at sea to handle any potential threat,” while President Vladimir Putin separately announced that Russia has begun mass production of its Oreshnik hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile and could station the weapon in Belarus by year-end. The United States rarely comments on submarine operations, making Trump’s disclosure unusual and underscoring rising tension between the world’s two largest nuclear powers as the war in Ukraine grinds on.