The United States and Russia exchanged sharp words this week over the escalating war in Ukraine, as U.S. President Donald Trump warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against further aggression, accusing Moscow of pushing the conflict to increasingly dangerous levels.
Trump’s comments came amid mounting concern over Russia’s reported buildup of 50,000 troops near Ukraine’s northern Sumy region and a surge in drone and missile attacks across Ukrainian territory. Now in its third year, the war has become the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Posting on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump warned Putin against intensifying the war. “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realise is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened in Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire,” he wrote.
In a swift response, former Russian president and current Security Council deputy chair Dmitry Medvedev dismissed Trump’s warning. On X (formerly Twitter), he mocked the comments, writing: “Regarding Trump’s words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!”
Trump’s national security adviser and envoy, Keith Kellogg, condemned Medvedev’s remarks, calling them “reckless.” “Stoking fears of WWIII is an unfortunate, reckless comment… and unfitting of a world power,” Kellogg posted on X.
Despite the tense rhetoric, diplomatic efforts appear to be underway. Following a reported two-hour phone call between Trump and Putin on May 19, the Russian president said Moscow had agreed to begin drafting a memorandum with Ukraine that could lay the groundwork for a potential peace agreement, including a timeline for a ceasefire.
Kellogg confirmed that Washington is waiting to receive Russia’s draft of the proposed framework. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said preparations were underway for a new round of peace talks, with an announcement expected soon.
On the battlefield, hostilities continue to escalate. Russia claims to have downed 296 Ukrainian drones across 13 regions in a single night, while Ukraine reported that Moscow launched 88 drones and five ballistic missiles in one of the largest aerial assaults in recent weeks.
Russian troops have reportedly taken several villages in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region after pushing Ukrainian forces out of the western part of the adjacent Kursk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the massing of Russian troops near the Sumy border, but said Kyiv had “taken steps” to counter a potential large-scale offensive.
Russian officials say their recent advances are part of an effort to secure a “buffer zone” along the Ukrainian border. Defence Minister Andrei Belousov on Wednesday accused NATO of using the war to expand its presence in Eastern Europe and the Baltic region, while asserting that Russian forces are now progressing “along the entire front.”
The conflict began in February 2022 when Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, following eight years of tension in the eastern Donbas region between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists.
Nzubechukwu Eze
