Trump Warns Putin He's 'Playing with Fire'
By Hannah Parry
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President Donald Trump has warned Vladimir Putin that he is "playing with fire," just days after he blasted the Russian leader for launching a major drone strike against Ukraine.
"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," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "He's playing with fire."
Why It Matters
Trump, who once promised on the campaign trail that he would end the Ukraine-Russia war within 24 hours of taking office, has become increasingly frustrated with Putin.
Despite Trump's efforts to negotiate a peace deal, Russia has been slow to engage in ceasefire negotiations while Putin has been accused of dragging his feet, and stringing the American president along.
Trump's patience with Putin appears to have finally been pushed to breaking point over the weekend, when Moscow launched its biggest drone attack since the start of its invasion in February of 2022, killing at least 12 and injuring many more.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Russia - Land of Opportunities Supervisory Board at the Kremlin in Moscow, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Alexander Kazakov/AP
What To Know
On Sunday, Trump accused Putin of having "gone absolutely CRAZY" over the major air strike on Ukraine and told reporters that he was "not happy with what Putin's doing."
"I don't know what the hell happened to Putin, I've known him a long time," Trump added. "Always gotten along with him. But he's sending rockets into cities and killing people and I don't like it at all. We're in the middle of talking and he's tuning rockets into Kyiv and other cities. I don't like it at all."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later dismissed Trump's comments as evidence of "emotional overstrain."
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"This is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overstrain of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions," he said on Sunday.
However, Moscow's latest drone strike, in defiance of the peace process, appears to have had a lasting impact on Trump.
The president has previously spoken highly of Putin, but in recent days, he's let his frustrations with him be known.
Following the strike, he told reporters he is now "absolutely" considering increasing sanctions on Moscow, unless Russia makes an effort to engage.
On Tuesday, in his Truth Social post, he warned Putin directly that he was "playing with fire" by continuing to ignore the efforts for peace.
Trump's message also followed news that Russia had rejected holding peace negotiations at the Vatican, something both the U.S. and Ukraine had already agreed to.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social on Sunday: "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 is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I'm not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I've always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that's proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!"
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday: "We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process. Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overstrain of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions."
Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, said on Fox News, Tuesday: "We would have liked to have it at the Vatican and we were pretty set to do something like that, but the Russians didn't want to go there, to the Vatican, so I think Geneva may be the next stop."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday: "Only a sense of total impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and continue increasing their scale...The increase in Russian strikes should be met with increased sanctions. Russia's disregard for diplomacy and refusal even to consider a ceasefire must be met with a freeze on Russian finances and a halt to its oil trade."
What Happens Next
Russia-Ukraine negotiations are expected to resume immediately, according to Trump.
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