Trump and Medvedev Engage in Fiery Exchange Amid U.S.-India Trade Impasse

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, engaged in a verbal exchange on social media amid rising tensions linked to stalled trade negotiations between the U.S. and India, as well as the looming threat of new tariffs.

The exchange took place as discussions between Washington and New Delhi seemed to reach a standstill just days before a deadline imposed by Trump. Expressing his frustration with what he termed “unacceptable trade barriers,” the U.S. leader criticized India’s continued procurement of Russian oil and military equipment, warning of a potential 25% tariff on Indian goods.

“I have no interest in what India does with Russia,” Trump expressed on his Truth Social account. “They can drag their struggling economies down together, for all I care.”

Shifting his focus to Moscow, Trump remarked: “The U.S. and Russia engage in very little business. Let’s keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the unsuccessful former President of Russia who still acts as if he’s in charge, to be cautious with his language. He’s treading on perilous ground.”

The specific remarks from Medvedev that triggered Trump’s reaction were not immediately apparent. Medvedev’s last post in English on X occurred over a month ago, where he responded to Trump’s earlier criticism regarding U.S. military actions in Iran and its nuclear ambitions.

Trump’s remarks came shortly after he issued a warning to the Kremlin, stating that Moscow had until August 8 to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine or face additional sanctions.

Later that day, Medvedev responded with a post on Telegram.

“If a few words from the former president of Russia can elicit such a nervous reaction from the powerful president of the United States, then it seems Russia is completely in the right,” he wrote. “We will continue on our chosen path.”

Medvedev then ridiculed Trump’s comments about “dead economies,” alluding to Cold War nuclear strategies.

“As for ‘dead economies’ and ‘dangerous territory,’ perhaps he should rewatch his favorite zombie films and consider how perilous the so-called ‘Dead Hand,’ which isn’t even real, could be,” Medvedev concluded his message with a laughing emoji.

The term “Dead Hand” refers to a hypothesized Soviet doomsday device from the Cold War era that could trigger a nuclear response even if the country’s leadership had been eliminated.

Since the Kremlin’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Medvedev, who was president of Russia from 2008 to 2012, has adopted increasingly aggressive rhetoric, frequently invoking nuclear threats aimed at the West.

In May, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, accused Medvedev of inciting fears of a potential World War III following Medvedev’s response to Trump’s warning that Putin was “playing with fire.”