Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev raised the specter of a World War III on Tuesday, as the rhetoric between the White House and the Kremlin ramped up over the war in Ukraine.
In a speech in Moscow’s Red Square last May, the Russian leader vowed to stand firm against attempts by Ukraine’s Western allies to contain Russia.
Inside Ukraine, Russian forces continue their slow grind forward on the battlefield.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday, his office said in a statement.
The two leaders are expected to discuss Kyiv’s readiness to respond to Russian strikes and threats, including increasing the production of drones and missiles, Zelenskyy said in his overnight address Wednesday.
As tensions between the White House and the Kremlin increased over the conflict in Ukraine, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened a third world war on Tuesday.
As Moscow continues to lash out at its neighbor, Medvedev, who is now a top security official, was reacting to President Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social criticizing his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
As if growing impatient with the lack of a ceasefire agreement, Trump wrote, “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD!” He’s playing with fire, Trump added.
Medvedev posted on X about three hours later, saying, “I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII.”. I hope Trump gets this.
Consequently, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, retired Lt. General. Medvedev’s comments were deemed “reckless” by Keith Kellogg in a post on X. It was “unfitting of a world power,” Kellogg wrote, warning that Russia was inflaming fears of another world war. “.”.
He also said that Trump has been trying to mediate a ceasefire in the conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people on both sides and entered its fourth year in February.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov thanked Trump “personally” for his efforts, seemingly downplaying the tension. However, “there are a lot of nuances based on the national interests, which cannot be sacrificed and which neither side will sacrifice,” he said. “”.
Since launching his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has repeatedly discussed the use of nuclear weapons, but he has never brought up the threat of a global conflict.
The Russian leader pledged to resist efforts by Ukraine’s Western allies to contain Russia during a speech in Red sq\. in Moscow last May. He declared, “No one will be able to threaten us.”. He continued by saying, “Our strategic forces are always at combat readiness,” alluding to Russia’s largest nuclear weapons stockpile in the world.
Since the start of his second term, Trump has found reality to be very different, despite his repeated promises to end the war within 24 hours of taking office and his conflicting statements regarding Putin.
The two had a cordial but unsuccessful phone conversation last week, and Trump has hailed Putin as a strong leader with whom he can do business. Trump declared shortly after that Russia and Ukraine would “start negotiations towards a ceasefire immediately.”. “”.
But Trump’s annoyance with Putin seems to have increased as the peace negotiations have stalled. On Sunday, Trump called the Russian leader “crazy” in a post on Truth Social after Moscow launched massive strikes on Ukraine. His remarks were written off by the Kremlin as “emotional overload.”. “”.
In earlier statements, Russia stated that it was drafting a memorandum of understanding detailing Moscow’s demands in the talks with Kyiv. Kellogg, however, stated on Tuesday that the US was still awaiting the “RU Memorandum (Term Sheet) that you promised a week ago.”. “.”.
Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, earlier said in a statement that the Kremlin was still working on the memorandum and that it would contain possible ceasefire scenarios and a timeline for a peace deal.
This would be sent to Ukraine, she added, which has previously refused Russian demands that it never join NATO, accept permanent “neutrality” between Moscow and the West, and give up its demand for four eastern territories that Russia unlawfully annexed months after the war started.
Russian forces inside Ukraine are still making slow progress in combat. According to Ukrainian officials, ballistic missile strikes throughout the nation overnight claimed one life and injured over two dozen others.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet Wednesday, according to a statement from Zelenskyy’s office.
In his overnight speech on Wednesday, Zelenskyy stated that the two leaders would likely talk about Kyiv’s preparedness to counter Russian threats and strikes, including boosting the country’s production of drones and missiles.
Merz said on Tuesday that his government would remove all range restrictions on the weapons it sends to Ukraine, enabling Kyiv to attack military targets located deep within Russia in order to defend itself.
“All this in a big way goes against the peace efforts, against the peace process that is beginning and is still in a very fragile state,” Peskov said, referring to Merz’s decision as “extremely dangerous.”. “.”.
