- Trump criticised India and Russia's economies and defence ties, ignoring their bilateral relations
- Trump announced 25% tariffs on Indian imports and penalties for India's Russian purchases
- Medvedev referenced the Cold War Dead Hand nuclear system in response to Trump's remarks
Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, who also served as the President from 2008 to 2012 and Prime Minister from 2012 and 2020, has cautioned US President Donald Trump advising him not to disregard the dangers of those he labels "dead".
In a post on Truth Social, Trump hit out at India and Russia and said that he does not care how the two countries deal with each other, and that they "can take their dead economies down together".
This is the second time that the two traded blows on social media this summer.
The US President's remarks come a day after he announced 25 per cent tariffs on imports from India, plus a penalty for New Delhi's purchases from Russia.
Disapproving of New Delhi's defence deals with Moscow, the US President said India has "always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia". They "are Russia's largest buyer of energy, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine."
Medvedev, in a response, wrote on Telegram, "As for the talk about the 'dead economies' of India and Russia, and 'entering dangerous territory' - maybe he should recall his favorite movies about 'the walking dead,' and also remember how dangerous the so-called 'Dead Hand,' which doesn't even exist, could be."
The 'Dead Hand', also known as Perimeter is a Cold-War era automatic or semi-automatic nuclear weapons control system, that could launch a nuclear counterstrike even if the country's leadership had been wiped out.
Trump had also personally targeted Medvedev in the social post when he added, "Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let's keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President, to watch his words. He's entering very dangerous territory."
In retaliation, Medvedev addressed that in his post when he said, "If a few words from the former president of Russia can provoke such a jittery reaction from the mighty president of the United States, then Russia must be completely in the right," he wrote. "We'll keep moving forward on our own path."
