President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Russian leader Vladimir Putin was “playing with fire”, expressing renewed frustration as Moscow continues to pummel Ukraine while all dragging out US efforts to secure a ceasefire deal.
It was the second time since Sunday that Mr Trump was critical of Mr Putin, a marked change in tone to his normally more diplomatic and deferential approach as he tries to broker an end to a war that began more than three years ago.
“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realise 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 wrote on his Truth Social platform
Russia recently conducted some of the biggest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine since Moscow's invasion of the country in early 2022.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who is now a top security official for Mr Putin, responded to Mr Trump's comments by invoking the risk of nuclear war.
"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," Mr Medvedev posted on X.
On Sunday, Mr Trump called Mr Putin “crazy” after an earlier series of intense attacks on Ukraine. He said he would “absolutely” consider additional sanctions on Russia.
“I don't know what's wrong with him,” he said. “What the hell happened to him, right? He's killing a lot of people and I'm not happy with that.”
Mr Trump took office in January promising to swiftly end the war in Ukraine.
The latest intensified Russia attacks threaten to set back US-led efforts to broker a ceasefire mediated by the Vatican. In March, Kyiv accepted a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the US, which Russia rejected.
Mr Trump has previously resisted calls by Senate Republicans and European leaders to put more pressure on Russia to end the war, although he did say in March that he was “strongly considering” sanctions against Moscow after a strong Russian counter-offensive.
Senator Lindsey Graham, an ally of Mr Trump, said in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published on Tuesday that he has co-ordinated with the White House on a bill that would put Russia on a “trade island”.
“If Mr Putin continues to play games, the Senate will act,” Mr Graham said. “I’m hoping for the best but when it comes to the thug in Moscow, we should all prepare for more of the same.”
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Mr Trump has several options if he chooses to punish Russia.
"There are many different things that the President has at his disposal to make sure that our position is felt and that that can be used to make an impact to stop this carnage," Ms Bruce told reporters.
