U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, accusing him of “playing with fire” by refusing to engage in ceasefire talks with Ukraine as Russian forces continue to make gains in the country’s northeast.
Trump’s frustration grew amid a series of intense drone and missile attacks launched by Moscow, marking some of the deadliest strikes in the three-year-long conflict. Despite these attacks, Russia has not moved forward with ceasefire negotiations.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared, “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.” However, the former president did not provide further details on his statement.
Reacting to Trump’s remarks, Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Russian security official, dismissed the criticism with a sharp response. “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 the social platform X.
Last week, Putin informed Trump after a two-hour phone call that Russia was prepared to work with Ukraine on drafting a memorandum for a future peace agreement. This process includes discussions on a possible ceasefire and its timeframe. However, Ukraine, along with the U.S. and European allies, has repeatedly urged Russia to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire lasting at least 30 days.
The Kremlin has stated that the timeline for drafting the peace memorandum remains uncertain and insists it is still in progress. Meanwhile, Kyiv and European officials accuse Russia of deliberately stalling the negotiations while advancing militarily on the battlefield.
On the ground, Russian forces recently captured four villages in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region—Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka, and Zhuravka—despite the evacuation of residents. The nearby village of Bilovody was also taken, signaling further progress in the prolonged conflict.
Sumy Governor Oleh Hryhorov noted that Russia aims to establish a “buffer zone” along the border, a strategy echoed by Putin during a visit to the neighboring Kursk region earlier this year.
While the main focus of Russia’s offensive remains in the eastern Donetsk region, their advances in northeastern Ukraine are stretching Ukrainian forces across multiple fronts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned of impending new Russian offensives not only in Sumy but also in the northeastern Kharkiv and southeastern Zaporizhzhia regions.
As the war continues into its fourth year, Trump faces pressure both from within the U.S. and from Zelenskiy to increase military aid to Ukraine, though he has yet to implement significant new sanctions against Russia. The conflict shows no sign of abating as both sides remain engaged in a high-stakes struggle for control and peace talks hang in the balance.
