Trump’s response slammed Moscow — and a vital trading partner wasn’t spared…
Tensions between President Donald Trump and Russia escalated early Thursday after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued a direct nuclear threat in response to U.S. economic pressure.
Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and widely seen as a potential successor to Vladimir Putin, warned that Trump’s promise to punish Russia and buyers of its oil was “a game of ultimatums.” He said it pushed the U.S. and Russia — both nuclear superpowers — closer to war.
Medvedev referenced Russia’s apocalyptic nuclear deterrent known as “Dead Hand” — an automated system capable of launching intercontinental ballistic missiles even if a nuclear strike decapitates the nation’s leadership.
In a sharply worded post on Truth Social, Trump fired back.
“India and Russia can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” he wrote. “Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way.”
He ended with a warning: “Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!”
Trump also moved to pressure India — a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific — announcing a 25% tariff on all Indian imports starting Friday, Aug. 1. He threatened additional penalties over New Delhi’s ongoing purchases of Russian oil and military equipment.
India’s imports of Russian crude have surged since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Once a marginal buyer, India now takes in nearly 40% of Russia’s exported oil. It also remains a major customer for Russian defense systems — an issue that has complicated U.S. efforts to isolate Russia economically.
Trump accused India of maintaining “high tariffs” and “non-monetary trade barriers” on U.S. products. He called them “among the most strenuous and obnoxious in the world.”
He has pushed for India to lower average import tariffs — currently between 12% and 16% — and open up sensitive sectors like agriculture and dairy.
India had previously offered to cut tariffs on 55% of U.S. imports — valued at roughly $23 billion — in a bid to avoid retaliatory sanctions.
Reacting to the fast-moving developments, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called Trump’s remarks hypocritical, arguing that India was being unfairly singled out for pursuing its national interests.
The new tariffs are part of Trump’s wider strategy to drain Russia’s revenue by targeting its key trade partners. Analysts say the pressure campaign may be designed to force Moscow into peace talks with Kyiv.
Following a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump set a deadline of Aug. 8 for Russia to begin formal ceasefire negotiations.
Fox News continues:
“Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10,” Medvedev complained in a post to X earlier this week. “He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!”
Trump on Wednesday announced a 25% tariff on imports from India – one of the biggest consumers of Russian oil, next to China – starting on Aug. 1. The president described India as a “friend,” but slammed the South Asian country’s “strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary” trade barriers. Trump vowed other unspecified “penalties” against India for buying most of its military equipment from Russia and Russian energy “at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE.”
During an unrelated press conference, Trump noted that India and Russia are founding members of BRICS, originally formed as a counterweight to Western institutions.
BRICS is “basically a group of countries that are anti-the United States and India is a member of that, if you can believe it. It’s an attack on the dollar. And we’re not going to let anybody attack the dollar,” Trump said. “We have a tremendous deficit.”