MOSCOW has warned “peacemaker” Donald Trump that his punishing oil sanctions are an “act of war” against Russia.
Top Putin lackey Dmitry Medvedev fiercely hit out at Washington as he vowed Moscow can now focus on “destroying enemies, not making pointless deals”.
Trump slapped punishing sanctions on two Russian oil companies on Wednesday after a turbulent week saw the Kremlin all but ostracised by Washington for their refusal to accept a peace deal in Ukraine.
When announcing the sanctions, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the companies are responsible for “funding the Kremlin‘s war machine”.
Trump says he hopes the sanctions will be a wake-up call for Putin to become more “reasonable” over what it will take for a deal to be made.
As expected, Russia hasn’t responded positively to the crippling punishments.
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Former Russian President Medvedev, now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, took to Telegram to blast the decision.
He spewed: “If any of the many commentators still had any illusions, here they are.
“The United States is our adversary, and their talkative “peacemaker” is now fully on the warpath against Russia.
“Yes, for now he does not always fight actively on the side of Banderite Kyiv, but this is now his conflict, not Biden the senile’s!
“The decisions made are acts of war against Russia.”
Medvedev continued his rant as accused Trump of being in “complete solidarity with mad Europe”.
In a chilling conclusion to his post, the 60-year-old warmonger said: “But there is a clear positive in Trump’s latest pendulum swing.
“It is now possible to strike all the Banderite hideouts with every kind of weapon, without worrying about unnecessary negotiations.
“And to pursue victory precisely where it is truly achievable – on the ground, not at the negotiating table.
“By destroying enemies, not by making pointless ‘deals’.”
Ukrainian wartime leader Volodymyr Zelensky believes the sanctions will be the biggest marker on how serious Russia is about ending the war.
He said on X: “The new US sanctions against Russia’s oil giants are a clear signal that prolonging the war and spreading terror come at a cost.
“It is precisely pressure on Russia that will be effective for achieving peace, and sanctions are one of its key components.”
There has been little let up by Russia on the ground out in Ukraine despite diplomatic efforts to stop the bloodshed.
Seven people were injured in a horror barrage of overnight strikes on Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 130 missiles and drones – setting the capital on fire.
A number of districts were hit as civilians fled their homes and ran for their lives to underground shelters.
The previous night saw six people, including children, killed in the region.
Heartbreaking footage from Kharkiv also captured the moments dozens of fire officials holding children in their arms ran away from a burning nursery.
US and Russia’s relations implode
The Kremlin’s scathing comments and continued assaults come after several days of uncertainty and distrust over peace talks.
Trump and Putin spoke over the phone on October 16 with both sides agreeing the talks had been “very productive”.
The pair even agreed to meet in Hungary to discuss the next steps.
But Putin’s pleasantries were short lived.
Several of his top officials were quick to pour cold water on any idea that Russia would accept peace terms which didn’t favour them.
Trump and Ukraine said a complete freeze of the frontlines could work as long as Russia stop their invasion.
But the sly Russians laughed at the idea.
EXPERT ANALYSIS: How can Trump force Putin into a peace deal
ON the latest edition of Harry Cole Saves The West, Harry was joined by Former Special Advisor to Ukraine General Zaluzhnyi Dan Rice to discuss Trump’s latest sanctions on Russia.
Rice believes that Trump may use the Middle East to help “fund victory” in Ukraine.
He may plan on getting the Saudis for example to pay Ukraine so they can buy long-range weapons for themselves rather than going to the US.
Trump will also be aware that Russia are running low on oil – whereas the Gulf States are certainly not.
Rice says there is a chance that the US is thinking about draining Vlad to a point where his oil supplies run out and he has to end the war in order to keep Russia’s economy alive.
Rice told Harry: “I think everybody realises that Putin does not want peace and I think President Trump has given every effort to secure peace without increasing and escalating the war.
“Now the goal is to fire enough long range weapons into Russia, destroy their economy, destroy their GDP and that will hurt Putin.
“He he will be forced between a poor and a difficult decision.”
Watch the latest episode of Harry Cole Saves The West now
Then in a turbulent 24 hours, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone call of their own.
They were set to organise a meeting between each other in person for next week.
But hours after Rubio put the phone down, any meeting was suddenly axed.
One source familiar with the matter believes Rubio and Lavrov had widely differing expectations about how to end Russia’s invasion during their call.
This prompted Rubio to speak to US officials about his concerns as it was later announced that Trump would also refuse to meet with Putin.
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Trump addressed the cancellation of the meeting as he spoke alongside Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday.
He said: “Every time I speak to Vladimir, I have good conversations and then they don’t go anywhere. They just don’t go anywhere.”