'Putin Playing With Fire': Trump Says 'Bad Things' Would Happen To Russia If Not For Him

Last Updated:May 27, 2025, 22:14 IST

US President Donald Trump's latest comments follow some of the biggest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine since Russia's full-scale war began in early 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump are pictured before a meeting in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. (Image: AFP/File)

Launching a fresh attack on his Russian counterpart over stalled Ukraine peace efforts, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Vladimir Putin was “playing with fire" and if it were not for him, “really bad things" would have happened to his country.

Donald Trump’s latest comments follow some of the biggest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale war began in early 2022. “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, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Over the weekend, too, Trump has kept up his attack on Vladimir Putin. He called him “CRAZY" following a mass Russian air attack on Kyiv, and warned that Moscow risked new sanctions.

He, however, did not specify what the “really bad" things were or make any specific threats. But the Wall Street Journal and CNN both reported that he was now considering fresh sanctions against Russia as early as this week, while stressing that he could still change his mind.

The US President had told reporters on Sunday (May 25) he was “absolutely" considering increasing sanctions on Moscow. His recent rebukes mark a major change from his previous attitude towards Putin, whom he often speaks of with admiration and has previously held off criticising.

He has, however, expressed increasing frustration with Moscow’s position in deadlocked truce negotiations with Kyiv. That frustration boiled over at the weekend when Russia launched a record drone barrage at Ukraine, killing at least 13 people.

“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!" he said in a Truth Social post.

Russia’s attacks have continued despite a phone call between Trump and Putin eight days ago in which the US leader said the Russian president had agreed to “immediately" start ceasefire talks. Moscow on Tuesday accused Kyiv of trying to “disrupt" peace efforts and said its aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent days were a “response" to escalating Ukrainian drone strikes on its own civilians.

(With AFP inputs)

Location :

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

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News world 'Putin Playing With Fire': Trump Says 'Bad Things' Would Happen To Russia If Not For Him