Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump (Image: GETTY)
Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, has claimed the US is a direct threat to Russia, claiming the US President “is on a path of war.” His statement comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Moscow following Mr Trump’s cancellation of a planned summit in Budapest and the imposition of new sanctions on Russia.
In a combative Telegram post, Medvedev wrote: “If any of the many commenters still had illusions — take this. The USA is our enemy, and their talkative ‘peacemaker’ has now fully taken the path of war with Russia.” Medvedev has a long record of issuing aggressive statements, often framing Western actions as deliberate provocations and justifying Russian military responses. He said: “The decisions made are an act of war against Russia. And now Mr Trump is fully in league with insane Europe.”
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Dmitry Medvedev has a track record of making inflammatory statements (Image: Getty)
The former Russian leader directly criticised Mr Trump’s recent moves as escalating tensions rather than calming them. He said, “Yes, he doesn’t always actively fight on the side of Banderite Kyiv yet, but this is now his conflict, not the senile Biden’s!”
The term “Banderite” refers to followers of Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian nationalist leader during World War II, and is used by Russian officials as a derogatory label for Ukrainians supporting the Government in Kyiv, portraying them as extremists or fascists to delegitimise Ukraine’s leadership and military.
Medvedev framed the current situation as the personal responsibility of the US President, not simply the continuation of previous US policies.
On the military front, Medvedev was explicit. He said: “You can hammer all sorts of weapons into all the Banderite hideouts without worrying about unnecessary negotiations. And seek victory exactly where it’s possible. On the ground, not behind an office desk. Destroying enemies, not making pointless ‘deals.’”
US President Donald Trump speaking earlier this week (Image: Getty Images)
Analysts say these words are a clear signal that Moscow views the sanctions and cancelled summit not as routine diplomacy but as an act of confrontation requiring a strategic response.
Mr Trump’s meeting with Putin earlier this year had been widely publicised as a potential thaw in relations. Medvedev’s comments, however, suggest Moscow now interprets US policy as decisively against Russian interests. By emphasising both the sanctions and the cancelled summit, Medvedev presents these developments as deliberate provocations that justify Russian countermeasures.
The White House has confirmed that Mr Trump will not meet with Vladimir Putin anytime soon. Combined with the sanctions, this has sharply escalated tensions between the two nations. Experts note that Medvedev’s statements are intended to communicate to both Russian citizens and US policymakers: Moscow will view any further actions by Washington as justification for retaliation.
Observers also highlight that Medvedev’s rhetoric signals a preference for action over negotiation. He said: “Destroying enemies, not making pointless ‘deals.’” This phrasing underscores the Kremlin’s approach: Moscow interprets US moves as requiring concrete responses on the ground rather than diplomatic compromise.
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Medvedev’s public warnings come at a critical time for US-Russia relations, as sanctions target Russian financial institutions, defence sectors, and key individuals. Analysts say the combination of economic pressure, summit cancellations, and blunt warnings from a close Putin ally could harden Moscow’s stance and reduce opportunities for diplomatic engagement.
Framing the broader conflict in stark, uncompromising terms, Medvedev wrote: “The USA is our enemy,” Medvedev wrote.
By putting Mr Trump at the centre of the dispute, Medvedev appeared to be trying to reinforce the message that Moscow sees the current US administration as fully responsible for the rising confrontation.
His warnings clearly indicate that Russia is prepared to prioritise strategic and military measures in response to perceived US aggression.
The Trump administration on Wednesday announced new “massive sanctions” against Russia’s oil industry that are aimed at moving Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and bringing an end to Moscow’s brutal war on Ukraine.
The sanctions against oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil followed months of calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as bipartisan pressure on Mr Trump to hit Russia with harder sanctions on its oil industry, the economic engine that has allowed Russia to continue to execute the grinding conflict even as it finds itself largely internationally isolated.
Mr Trump said of Putin: “Hopefully he’ll become reasonable. And hopefully Zelensky will be reasonable, too. You know, it takes two to tango, as they say.”
His proposed meeting with Putin in Hungary appears to have been shelved – at least for the moment.