U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg on Wednesday criticized Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitri Medvedev for stoking fears of World War III after Trump warned that President Vladimir Putin was “playing with fire” over Ukraine.
As Russian forces advanced in Ukraine, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Putin was risking catastrophe and claimed “REALLY BAD” things would have happened to Russia already if not for him.
“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened in Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire,” Trump posted Tuesday.
Medvedev, a former president and prime minister who has sat on Russia’s security council since 2020, dismissed the remarks.
“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 on X.
Kellogg, responding on X, called the comment reckless.
“Stoking fears of WWIII is an unfortunate, reckless comment... and unfitting of a world power,” he said.
“President Trump @POTUS is working to stop this war and end the killing. We await receipt of RU Memorandum (Term Sheet) that you promised a week ago. Cease fire now.”
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