Key Points and Summary – Russia has responded to President Trump’s new hardline Ukraine policy with a mix of defiance and veiled threats.
-While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the US ultimatum “very serious,” former president Dmitry Medvedev was more belligerent, threatening “preemptive strikes” against the West.
-Sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Vladimir Putin is unfazed by the threat of new sanctions and intends to continue the war until his demands are met.
-This defiant posture from Moscow suggests that Trump’s latest gambit of combining weapons with sanctions has not yet forced Putin back to the negotiating table.
Russia Makes Another Ukraine Threat
During Russia’s war on Ukraine, one of the most strident voices arguing the Russian position has been Dmitry Medvedev, who briefly served as Russia’s president during Putin’s time out of office between 2008 to 2012, and also had a stint as prime minister, and is now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
That continued this week, following the announcement of a shift in U.S. policy toward Russia and Ukraine, when the former Russian president appeared to threaten an attack on the West.
Per Reuters, Medvedev said this week that while Russia does not plan an attack on Europe or NATO nations, but that Russia must react if the U.S. “escalates” the war any further.
The remarks were first reported by the TASS state news agency.
“The statements of Western politicians on this topic are complete nonsense,” the former Russian president said in his remarks. “We need to act accordingly. To respond in full. And if necessary, launch preemptive strikes,” he continued.
We went on to accuse many in the West of holding “treachery in their blood.”
“What is happening today is a proxy war, but in essence it is a full-scale war (launches of Western missiles, satellite intelligence, etc.), sanctions packages, loud statements about the militarisation of Europe,” Medvedev said, according to TASS, as cited by Reuters. “It’s another attempt to destroy the ‘historical anomaly’ hated by the West – Russia, our country.”
Putin’s Take
Another Reuters story, this week, looked at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reaction to the announcement by the U.S. and NATO that more weapons were being made available to Ukraine, along with the threat of 100 percent secondary tariffs against countries that buy oil from Russia, unless Ukraine agrees to a ceasefire.
The story, which cited “three sources close to the Kremlin,” stated that the Russian president “intends to keep fighting in Ukraine until the West engages on his terms for peace, unfazed by Donald Trump’s threats of tougher sanctions, and his territorial demands may widen as Russian forces advance.”
The Russian leader also believes, per Reuters’ sources, that “Russia’s economy and its military are strong enough to weather any additional Western measures.” Russia has not been phased by numerous sanctions since its initial invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“Putin thinks no one has seriously engaged with him on the details of peace in Ukraine – including the Americans – so he will continue until he gets what he wants,” a source close to the Kremlin told the news agency.
“Putin values the relationship with Trump and had good discussions with Witkoff, but the interests of Russia come above all else,” the source said, about the many phone calls between the Russian leader and the U.S. president, as well as with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump, once thought to be extraordinarily close to his Russian counterpart, has been expressing vocal frustration with Putin in recent weeks, leading up to the Monday announcement of new weapons for Ukraine.
The sources characterized Putin’s demands for ending the war as a pledge of Ukrainian neutrality, as well as acceptance of Russia’s territorial gains, and future limits on Ukraine’s military.
Those were the aims put across by the Russians during the abbreviated peace talks in Istanbul in early June, which remain the last such talks to date. None of those terms is acceptable to Ukraine, they have maintained.
The White House Responds
Asked for comments on the report about Putin’s thinking, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly took a shot at Trump’s predecessor.
“Unlike Biden, President Trump is focused on stopping the killing, and Putin will be faced with biting sanctions and tariffs if he does not agree to a ceasefire,” Kelly said, as reported by Reuters.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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