WASHINGTON — In a warning to Russia, President Donald Trump said Friday he's ordering the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines “based on the highly provocative statements” of the country's former president Dmitry Medvedev.

Tension between the U.S. and Russia has escalated this week as Trump and Medvedev have exchanged harsh statements toward each other.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said he was ordering the American boats to “the appropriate regions” due to what he called “the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia” and noted Medvedev’s status as a deputy chair of the Russian national security council.