US President Donald Trump on Thursday hit back at former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, warning him to “watch his words” after the Kremlin official suggested Trump’s stance on Ukraine could spark a wider conflict.
“Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, had warned earlier in the week that Trump’s pressure on Moscow risked igniting a confrontation beyond Ukraine.
“50 days or 10… He should remember two 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!” Medvedev wrote on X.
His comments followed Trump’s Monday threat to impose sweeping sanctions and secondary tariffs unless Russia ended the Ukraine war “in about 10 or 12 days,” a sharper deadline than he had previously given.
Trump also dismissed closer economic ties with Russia or India, adding: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”
On Wednesday, Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing unfair trade practices and New Delhi’s heavy energy and arms dealings with Moscow.
Medvedev responded Thursday, saying Trump’s outburst “proves Russia is right on all counts and will keep moving forward.”
In New Delhi, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi seized on Trump’s comments about India’s economy. “Yes, he is right,” Gandhi said. “Everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact.”