Putin is playing with fire
May 28, 2025
Washington [US], May 28: U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Vladimir Putin was "playing with fire" by refusing to engage in ceasefire talks with Kyiv as Russian forces made gains in Ukraine's northeast.
With his frustration increasing, Trump has lashed out at the Russian president as Moscow has hit Ukraine with some of the three-year-old war's deadliest drone and missile attacks while not moving forward on ceasefire efforts.
"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 said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.
The president, who prides himself on having friendly relations with Putin, did not elaborate.
Top Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev dismissed Trump's 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.
Trump, in a post on Sunday, said Putin had "gone absolutely CRAZY" by unleashing a massive aerial attack on 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 timeframe.
Ukraine, its European allies, and the U.S. 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 it said on Tuesday it was still working on it.
Kyiv and European governments have accused Moscow of stalling while it advances on the battlefield.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
