 "Who is Dmitry Medvedev, the ‘failed former president of Russia’ who is trading jabs with Trump?")
A war of words broke out on Thursday between Donald Trump and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after the US President said that India and Russia could “take their dead economies down together.”
Earlier that day, Trump posted that he was not concerned about India, one of Moscow’s biggest oil buyers along with China, did with Russia.
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He also announced a 25 per cent tariff on India, along with an additional but unspecified “penalty” over its defence and energy deals with Russia.
What followed was a major showdown between Trump and Medvedev.
But who is Dmitry Medvedev? And what happened during his clash with Donald Trump?
Let’s take a look:
Who is Dmitry Medvedev?
Medvedev is a former President and Prime Minister of Russia, and currently serves as the deputy head of the country’s security council.
He was once Vladimir Putin’s prime minister before stepping into the role of president from 2008 to 2012, acting as a placeholder while Putin was barred from a third consecutive term under Russian law.
Medvedev has since become a strong supporter of Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, often taking to social media to express his views.
This is not the first time Medvedev and Donald Trump have clashed online.
Medvedev’s political career has seen many shifts over the years.
In 2008, when he took over as president, he spoke of modernising Russia, encouraged more openness, and often shared his interest in blogging and technology. He once visited Silicon Valley and was handed a new iPhone 4 by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHis shift in image at the time was seen as an effort to remain politically relevant in a country that had become more closed and rigid over the years.
When Putin stepped aside in 2008 due to constitutional limits on his term, he became prime minister and selected Medvedev, an ally since 2000, to succeed him.
Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Kremlin adviser, told The Guardian, “Someone with ideas would probably have got rid of Putin pretty quickly, and Putin didn’t want to risk that. Medvedev fit the bill as a dependent person. He tried to fit in with the consensus, just as he is trying to fit in now.”
Though he held the top job, Medvedev was seen as junior to Putin. However, his style was different. He openly talked about his love for rock music and new technology, often tweeting and blogging.
He also found some support within the Kremlin, with parts of the elite backing the idea of him serving a second term.
According to people close to him, Medvedev became increasingly focused on winning another term. He even had a few public disagreements with Putin, including one over Russia’s decision to abstain from a UN vote on Libya, according to The Guardian.
At one point, there was talk of Medvedev starting a new political party, and influential figures like Kremlin strategist Vladislav Surkov encouraged him to run for a second term.
But during a fishing trip in 2011, Putin reportedly told Medvedev he would be returning as president. Medvedev agreed and requested to remain prime minister, possibly still hoping for a return to the presidency after another four years.
In later years, rumours about Medvedev’s growing alcohol use began to circulate in Moscow, the report said.
In 2020, Putin asked him to step down as prime minister. He was then given a symbolic post as deputy chair of the security council.
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Medvedev vs Trump explained
The former Russian president hit out at Donald Trump after the US President demanded that Russia agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump referred to Russia and India as “dead economies” and said his warning to raise tariffs on New Delhi would go ahead.
Trump said, “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”
He added, “We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way.”
On Tuesday, Trump had warned that the United States would bring in more sanctions against Russia in 10 days if it did not take steps to end the ongoing war, now in its third year.
Medvedev mocked the warning, calling it a “theatrical ultimatum” and saying “each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war.”
In a post just after midnight on Wednesday, Trump hit back at Medvedev, calling him “the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words.”
“He’s entering very dangerous territory!” Trump wrote.
Medvedev responded by saying Trump’s reaction showed that Russia was on the right path and should continue with its current policies.
“If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right and will continue to proceed along its own path,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.
He also warned Trump to remember “how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be”, referring to a secretive Russian system that could launch nuclear missiles if the country’s leaders were wiped out in an enemy strike.
With inputs from agencies
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