Key Points
- Donald Trump accused Russia’s Vladimir Putin of “playing with fire” by refusing to engage in ceasefire talks.
- Russia has launched some of its worst air attacks since the start of the war, while capturing four villages in Ukraine’s north-east.
- Ukraine has responded with drone attacks on Russian territory, briefly shutting down Moscow airport.
United States President Donald Trump has accused Vladimir Putin of “playing with fire” after the Russian military unleashed some of the deadliest drone and missile attacks in the history of its three-year invasion of Ukraine.
With his frustration increasing as peace talks stall, Trump lashed out at the Russian president for continuing to go after territory in Ukraine’s northeast and ignoring ceasefire efforts.
Trump, who prides himself on having friendly relations with Putin, did not elaborate. Top Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev dismissed the criticism.
“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!” Medvedev wrote in English on the social media platform X.
In another rare criticism, Trump said that Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY” by unleashing such a massive aerial attack on Ukraine.
Trump has so far held off on major new sanctions against Russia, though US officials say a package of sanctions has been prepared should he decide to do so. Trump is also under pressure from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to increase military assistance to Ukraine.
Putin said after a two-hour call with Trump last week that Russia was ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about a future peace accord.
The Russian leader said part of this work would be defining a possible ceasefire, including its time frame. Ukraine, its European allies, and the US have all urged Putin to accept an immediate, unconditional ceasefire lasting at least 30 days.
The Kremlin has said it could not estimate how long drafting the memorandum would take, and confirmed on Tuesday that it was still working on it. Kyiv and European governments have accused Moscow of stalling while it advances on the battlefield.
How is the war progressing on the front lines?
Trump’s social media blast on Tuesday came as Kyiv suffered another battlefield setback with Russian forces capturing four villages in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.
The Russian advances follow some of the biggest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine since Russia began the full-scale war in early 2022, although the level dropped markedly overnight from Monday to Tuesday.
Ukraine has also fired dozens of long-range drones into Russia in recent days, forcing some Moscow airports to close temporarily.
