One of Vladimir Putin’s top allies has accused European leaders of trying to escalate the Ukraine war after Donald Trump was re-elected.
The president-elect is expected to reduce US support for Kyiv and possibly even encourage the beleaguered country to cede land to Moscow in exchange for peace.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is now a senior security official, has accused Europe of trying to rush through extra support for Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration in January.
Writing on Telegram, he said politicians were aiming to “push the conflict with Russia into an irreversible stage”.
“Frankly, it is simply astonishing to what extent the current generation of European politicians seeks to extend the war to their territories,” he said, according to a translation from Russian state news agency TASS.
“To the delight of the Americans, by the way, and against the will of their own people. All the lessons of World War II have faded.
“Experienced and just simply intelligent European leaders have gone down in history. What has come to power are nobodies with inflated self-esteem.”
He claimed French president Emmanuel Macron is pushing to support Ukraine “in the event of America’s withdrawn”, while NATO chiefs are supposedly “trying to come up with smart ideas on how to actively engage in war with us for the long time”.
Medvedev then dismissed the “ultimatums” from German opposition leader – and potentially the next German chancellor – Friedrich Merz after he called for the end of the war.
The top Russian official lashed out at the possibility of Ukraine finally being permitted to use French and British-made long-range missiles to strike within Russian territory, too.
Medvedev tried to play down the significance of such weapons, writing on Telegram: “It is clear that these missiles are not capable of changing anything significantly in the course of military operations.”
His comments come after French president Emmanuel Macron and UK PM Keir Starmer made it clear that they will continue to stand by Ukraine on Monday.
While Russia has not openly celebrated Trump’s victory, Medvedev said last week that his win would be bad news for Ukraine.
And on Sunday, he wrote on X: “It’s actually hilarious to look at the terrified faces of European establishment mutts who used to call Trump a Russian asset, and who are now soiling themselves as they rush to kiss the boots of their new master.”