U. S. President Donald Trump told reporters that the United States is prepared for a nuclear confrontation with Russia. The comment came as he defended his earlier claim that two American nuclear-powered submarines had been ordered to move closer to Russian territorial waters.

The trigger for Trump’s actions, as he explained, was a warning issued by Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev on social media. Medvedev had cautioned Washington against issuing ultimatums to Moscow, arguing that such language edges the world closer to nuclear war.

Trump, referring to Medvedev’s comments, told journalists that the former Russian president had brought up nuclear weapons-something he saw as requiring a firm response. «And when it comes to nuclear weapons," Trump said, «we have to be ready — and we are fully ready.»

The Pentagon has declined to comment on Trump’s post, published on his own platform, Truth Social, in which he claimed to have ordered the redeployment of nuclear-armed submarines to the vicinity of Russian waters.

Western journalists have noted that such a public step toward nuclear escalation-especially against a nuclear-armed state like Russia-has no precedent in U.S. presidential history.