Trump says Putin 'playing with fire' as crisis continues

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that he is "playing with fire" as the Russia-Ukraine conflict shows no immediate signs of ending.

"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 wrote in a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning.

Trump on Sunday made harsh remarks on both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"I'm not happy with what Putin's doing," Trump told reporters before he boarded Air Force One from Morristown, New Jersey, back to Washington, DC.

"I don't know what the hell happened to Putin," he said.

On Sunday evening, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that Putin "has gone absolutely CRAZY!"

He then turned to Zelensky, saying he was doing his country "no favors by talking the way he does", a reference to statements Zelensky made earlier on Sunday criticizing US silence on the latest Russian attacks.

The Trump administration has warned in recent months that it could walk away from the frustrating negotiations for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

In response to Trump's escalating criticism, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev wrote in a social media post on Tuesday: "I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this."

On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was clear the Trump administration is making "considerable efforts toward a peaceful settlement" and that Russia was "grateful for the mediation efforts of President Trump personally", but there were still "a lot of nuances" that needed to be worked through before a peace deal could be reached.

"Just like the United States, Russia has its own national interests, which are above all for us, and they are above all for our president.

"Therefore, we are also engaged in intense work, we are preparing for the next round of negotiations with the Ukrainian side, and we will continue our contacts with the Americans," Peskov told reporters in a daily briefing.

Zelensky meets Merz

Meanwhile, Zelensky landed in Berlin on Wednesday for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

In a joint news conference with Zelensky, Merz said Germany and Ukraine will develop the joint production of long-range missiles.

"This will be a cooperation on an industrial level, which can take place both in Ukraine and here in Germany," Merz said.

The Kremlin said Merz's decision was nothing but a further provocation of the conflict in Ukraine.

"This is a very dangerous trend, an irresponsible position that Germany is taking," Peskov said.

Merz, a conservative who took office this month, has vowed to take more of a leadership role in ensuring support for Ukraine than his Social Democrat predecessor Olaf Scholz.

He visited Ukraine with other European leaders within days of becoming chancellor and on Monday endorsed Ukraine's right to launch long-range missile strikes into Russian territory — in contrast with Scholz's cautious rhetoric on the issue.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow and Washington are coordinating the details of a previously agreed prisoner exchange.

In a telephone conversation on May 19, Putin and Trump discussed the possibility of a prisoner swap involving nine people from each country, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters following the call.

Russia and the US conducted their most recent prisoner exchange on April 10 in Abu Dhabi.

Xinhua - Agencies