Trump Calls Putin Playing With Fire, Kremlin: Russia Has Its Own National Interest

Russian President Vladimir Putin/PHOTO via Instagram @russian_kremlin

JAKARTA - The Kremlin commented on US President Donald Trump's remarks calling Vladimir Putin "playing in the fire" by refusing to engage in ceasefire negotiations with Kyiv.

Russia calls national interests the most important for Putin.

Trump, who vowed to immediately end the conflict in Ukraine, withdrew efforts to restore relations with Moscow and criticized Putin in Truth Social posts.

"What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, a lot of really bad things would have happened in Russia, and I mean it was really bad. He was playing with fire," Trump wrote on Tuesday, May 27.

Trump made his remarks as Russia attacked Ukraine with several of the deadliest drone and missile attacks in a war that has lasted for three years.

Russian officials said the air defenses had destroyed or intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian unmanned aircraft on Wednesday night, including a swarm of unmanned aircraft bound for Moscow.

When asked about Trump's statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was clear that the Trump administration was making a major effort towards a peaceful settlement and Russia was grateful for President Trump's personal mediation efforts.

However, Peskov said there are still "many nuances" that need to be resolved before a peace agreement can be reached.

"Just like the United States, Russia has its own national interest, which is especially for us, and that interest is especially for our president," Peskov said.

"Therefore, we are also involved in hard work, we are preparing for the next round of negotiations with the Ukrainian side, and we will continue our contact with America," Peskov continued.

Yuri Ushakov, aide to the Kremlin's foreign policy, told a state TV journalist Trump's statement about Putin "playing in flames" indicating the US president did not get a good briefing about the reality of war.

"We came to the conclusion that Trump was not informed enough about what really happened in the context of Ukraine-Russia confrontation," Ushakov said.

"In particular, he was not informed of the increasing frequency of the massive terrorist attacks carried out by Ukraine against the peaceful Russian cities. Trump only knows what countermeasures we are taking," he continued.