Medvedev warns of World War III amid Trump-Putin rhetoric

Shafaq News/ Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev warned on Tuesday that the threat of a potential World War III remains the most serious global concern, responding to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!” Medvedev posted on X, following Trump’s comments on Truth Social in which he claimed, “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,” describing the Russian leader as “absolutely CRAZY.”
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!
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) May 27, 2025
The exchange follows a statement from the Kremlin suggesting that Trump’s remarks reflected "emotional overload," after he had criticized the scale of Russia’s aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week, after a phone call with Trump, that Moscow is open to dialogue with Kyiv regarding a potential peace memorandum, including a possible ceasefire.
Despite diplomatic references, hostilities continue to intensify. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces had seized multiple villages, including Novynky, Paseivka, Vasylivka, and Zhuravka. Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the capture of Bilovody.
Overnight, Russia launched 60 drones across various regions of Ukraine, while Russian air defenses claimed to have intercepted or destroyed 112 Ukrainian drones within a three-hour window.
Meanwhile, the Russian military announced it had commenced naval drills in the Baltic Sea involving over 20 vessels, 25 aircraft and helicopters, and approximately 3,000 personnel.