Medvedev warns Trump's Russia deadline could drag US into war

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a post on X on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump was playing “the ultimatum game” with Russia, and that such an approach could lead to a war involving the United States.

Medvedev wrote: “Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with (Trump’s) own country."

On Monday, President Trump set a fresh ultimatum of 10 or 12 days for Russia to make progress towards resolving the war in Ukraine or suffer repercussions, highlighting his dissatisfaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the 3-1/2-year conflict.

Trump has warned sanctions against both Russia and its export buyers unless progress is made. The new deadline shows that the US president is willing to carry forward with such threats despite past reservations.

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Speaking in Scotland, where he is meeting with European leaders and playing golf, Trump expressed disappointment with Putin and shortened a 50-day deadline he set earlier this month.

“I’m going to make a new deadline of about … 10 or 12 days from today,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “There’s no reason in waiting… We just don’t see any progress being made.”

There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.

Ukraine welcomed the statement. Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, thanked Trump in a social media post for “standing firm and delivering a clear message of peace through strength.”

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Trump, who has expressed annoyance also with Zelenskyy, has not always followed tough talk about Putin with action, citing what he deems a good relationship that the two men have had previously.

On Monday, Trump indicated he was not interested in more talks with Putin. He said sanctions and tariffs would be used as penalties for Moscow if it did not meet Trump’s demands.

“There’s no reason to wait. If you know what the answer is going to be, why wait? And it would be sanctions and maybe tariffs, secondary tariffs,” Trump said. “I don’t want to do that to Russia. I love the Russian people.”

Ukraine had proposed a summit between Putin and Zelenskyy before the end of August, but the Kremlin has said that timeline was unlikely and that a meeting could only happen as a final step to clinch peace.

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that if the West wanted real peace with Ukraine, it would stop supplying Kyiv with weapons.

Trump has repeatedly voiced exasperation with Putin for pursuing attacks on Ukraine despite US efforts to end the war. Trump has played up successes in other parts of the world where the United States has helped to broker peace agreements and has been flattered by some leaders who suggest he should be given the Nobel Peace Prize.

“I’m disappointed in President Putin,” Trump said on Monday. “I’m going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number because I think I already know the answer what’s going to happen.”

Trump, who is also struggling to achieve a peace deal in Gaza, has touted his role in ending conflicts between India and Pakistan as well as Rwanda and Congo. Before returning to the White House in January, Trump campaigned on a promise to end Russia’s conflict with Ukraine in a day.

“We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever,” Trump said. “And I say that’s not the way to do it.”