Donald Trump has escalated his feud with Dmitry Medvedev, warning the former Russian president and long-term Putin ally he should “watch his words” and is straying into “dangerous territory.”
Trump also had harsh words for India, which is a major buyer of Russian oil, saying both the Russian and Indian economies were “dead.”
Trump’s comments come after Medvedev this week dismissed a call by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham for Russia to get “to the peace table” and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian and Indian governments for comment.
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Why It Matters
Trump is attempting to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine to end Moscow’s invasion. Trump’s criticism of Medvedev, who is known as a hawk on Ukraine and close to Putin, will further dim hopes for compromise on a settlement.
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin as Russian forces pound Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles and push on with ground offensives while the White House is trying to broker peace.
Early in July, Trump gave Putin a 50-day deadline for a ceasefire in Ukraine but on Monday, he said he would bring the deadline forward to about 10 or 12 days.
Trump has also threatened secondary sanctions on both Russia and buyers of its exports, such as India, which could deliver a blow to Moscow’s key energy exports.
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What To Know
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, vented his frustration with Russia, but also with India, which buys significant volumes of Russian oil.
“I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” he said.
“Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way, and 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 said.
Medvedev, a former Russian president and prime minister, mocked Graham when he dismissed a call by the Republican from South Carolina for Russia to get serious about peace talks and “Get to the peace table.”
Medvedev responded to Graham by reiterating the Russian demand that its aims must be met before there can be any chance of peace.
“It’s not for you or Trump to dictate when to ‘get at the peace table’. Negotiations will end when all the objectives of our military operation have been achieved. Work on America first, gramps!” he said.
Medvedev is known for his sarcastic and at times biting humor on social media, often with dark undertones. He is the deputy chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
Graham has also been warning countries that buy oil from Russia that they would have to pay a heavy price for doing so.
“Here’s what I would tell China, India and Brazil: If you keep buying cheap Russian oil to allow this war to continue, we’re going to tear up the hell out of you, and we’re going to crush your economy,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News.
India In the Line of Fire
Trump’s frustration with India comes a day after he announced newly implemented tariffs against the South Asian giant.
A 25 percent tariff will apply to all goods from India, along with an extra import tax because of India’s purchasing of Russian oil.
“While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
He reiterated that in his message on Thursday, saying: “We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World.”
What People are Saying
India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in response to Trump’s earlier announcement of a 25 percent tariff, said: “The government has taken note of a statement by the U.S. President on bilateral trade. The government is studying its implications. India and the US have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement over the last few months. We remain committed to that objective.”
What Happens Next
Trump has not given a specific date for his deadline for Russia but has said the Indian tariffs will come into force on August 1.
