Putin's Troops Build ‘KILLING POCKET' Around Ukrainian Troops I Battle For Donetsk Peaks
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NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Who Is Dmitry Medvedev, The Russian War Hawk Who Got Under Trump's Skin?
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has become embroiled in a tense back-and-forth on social media that prompted US President Donald Trump to announce he had ordered the repositioning of two US nuclear submarines. Who is Medvedev, what is his track record, and how influential is he? PRESIDENT WHO BRIEFLY RAISED HOPES IN THE WEST Medvedev was elected Russian president in 2008 when Vladimir Putin, having served two terms, was barred from standing again under the law in force at that time. Medvedev ran the Kremlin for four years, with Putin as his prime minister, but widely assumed by analysts in Russia and the West to be still calling the shots, before the two swapped places after the 2012 election - a political manoeuvre that provoked opposition protests. Medvedev, the son of two university professors, had studied law and worked for a time in the private sector. Short in height and quietly spoken, he was described by contemporaries as cultured and intelligent. But president, he was seen initially in the West as a potential moderniser and reformer, prepared to work to thaw relations with the United States. In 2009, he signed the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with President Barack Obama. But Medvedev's presidency also saw Russia fight a brief war with its neighbour Georgia in 2008, and he failed to achieve his stated goals of tackling pervasive corruption, improving the rule of law in Russia, strengthening the role of civil society and rebalancing the economy to reduce its over-reliance on oil and gas production. AFTER THE KREMLIN Medvedev served as Putin's prime minister for eight years in a period in which tensions with the West escalated anew, particularly over Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. But his political fortunes took a dive when he was removed in January 2020 and replaced by Mikhail Mishustin, who has held the post ever since. Medvedev was shunted into a new role as deputy chairman of the Security Council, a powerful body that includes the heads of Russia's intelligence services. WAR CHEERLEADER After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Medvedev carved out a new role for himself as an arch-hawk and full-throated champion of the war, hurling aggressive rhetoric at Kyiv and the West and warning repeatedly of the risk of a nuclear "apocalypse". In May 2024, he said it would be a "fatal mistake" on the part of the West to think that Russia was not ready to use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine. He also spoke of the potential to strike unnamed hostile countries with strategic nuclear weapons. His statements - including personal attacks on foreign leaders - were frequently designed to shock, insult and provoke. He referred to Ukrainians as "cockroaches", in language Kyiv condemned as openly genocidal, and called President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a criminal, a drug addict, a louse, a rat and a freak. In January 2023, he accused Japan's prime minister of shameful subservience to the United States and suggested he should ritually disembowel himself. Russian opposition figures have dismissed Medvedev's outpourings as sad, impotent rants. However, some Western diplomats say they give a flavour of the thinking in Kremlin policy-making circles. Until now, they have rarely provoked a direct response from Western leaders. SPAT WITH TRUMP That changed last month when Trump rebuked Medvedev and accused him of throwing around the "N" word after the Russian criticised US air strikes on Iran and said "several countries" were ready to supply Iran with nuclear warheads. When Trump imposed a deadline on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine or face further sanctions, including on buyers of its exports, Medvedev accused him of playing a "game of ultimatums" and moving a step closer to war between Russia and the US. Trump retorted: "Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President, to watch his words. He's entering very dangerous territory!" Medvedev waded in again last Thursday, saying Trump's "nervous reaction" showed Russia was on the right course and referring again to Moscow's nuclear capabilities. Trump delivered his statement the following day on posting US nuclear submarines in "the appropriate regions", since Medvedev has not posted again.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Modi, Shah call separately on President Murmu
. . . 1 2 NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called on President Droupadi Murmu amid a logjam in Parliament over the opposition's demand for a discussion on the special intensive revision exercise in Bihar ahead of assembly elections in the state. Home minister Amit Shah also called on the President separately later. The Rashtrapati Bhavan posted photos of both interactions on X. Except for discussions on Operation Sindoor, Parliament has seen little business since the monsoon session began on July 21. The meetings also came days after US President Trump announced 25% tariffs on Indian exports and an unspecified penalty over Russian purchases.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Top Trump aide accuses India of financing Russia's war in Ukraine
A top aide to U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday (August 3, 2025) accused India of effectively financing Russia's war in Ukraine by purchasing oil from Moscow, after the U.S. leader escalated pressure on New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil. "What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia," said Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff at the White House and one of Mr. Trump's most influential aides. Mr. Miller's criticism was one of the strongest yet by the Trump administration about one of the United States' major partners in the Indo-Pacific. "People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That's an astonishing fact," MR. Miller said on Fox News. The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Indian government sources told Reuters on Saturday that New Delhi will keep purchasing oil from Moscow despite U.S. threats. A 25% tariff on Indian products went into effect on Friday as a result of its purchase of military equipment and energy from Russia. Trump has also threatened 100% tariffs on U.S. imports from countries that buy Russian oil unless Moscow reaches a major peace deal with Ukraine. Mr. Miller tempered his criticism by noting Mr. Trump's relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which he described as "tremendous.
