Medvedev Warns of World War III After Trump Criticism

Russia’s former president and current Deputy Chair of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has issued a stark warning about the threat of World War III, following critical remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!” Medvedev wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, in response to Trump’s post on Truth Social. In that message, 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 to Russia,” while describing the Russian leader as “absolutely CRAZY.”

The rhetorical exchange follows comments from the Kremlin, which dismissed Trump’s statements as a result of “emotional overload.” Trump had recently condemned the scale of Russia’s missile and drone assaults on Ukrainian cities.

Despite the verbal jabs, there were signals of possible diplomacy. President Putin, after a phone call with Trump last week, said Russia remains open to dialogue with Ukraine and may consider a ceasefire as part of a broader peace agreement.

However, fighting on the ground continues to intensify. Ukrainian officials confirmed the loss of several villages—including Novynky, Paseivka, Vasylivka, and Zhuravka—to Russian forces. Russia’s Ministry of Defense also reported seizing Bilovody.

Overnight, Russian forces launched 60 drones across Ukrainian territory. In response, Russia claimed its air defenses intercepted or destroyed 112 Ukrainian drones in a three-hour period.

Meanwhile, Russia’s military commenced naval drills in the Baltic Sea, involving more than 20 warships, 25 aircraft and helicopters, and around 3,000 troops, signaling ongoing readiness amid mounting tensions.