PDB Afternoon Bulletin | May 28th, 2025: Kremlin Sends WWIII Warning To Trump & Americans Told to Flee Venezuela
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What warning did Russia's former president issue?
It's Wednesday, the 28th of May. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. We'll start today with a chilling new message from Moscow. Russia's former president just invoked World War III in a direct warning to President Trump. raising, of course, the stakes in an already volatile standoff. Later in the show, the U.S.
What risks are Americans facing in Venezuela?
is warning Americans don't travel to Venezuela. Citing risks of torture, kidnapping, and wrongful detention, the State Department says all U.S. citizens should leave immediately. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Well, Russia's number one saber-rattler is at it again. Former President Dmitry Medvedev is now invoking the specter of World War III.
How did Trump respond to Medvedev's comments?
Medvedev was responding to a recent comment by President Trump who said on Tuesday, quote, 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, and then all capitals, really bad. You know it's really bad when you put it all in capitals. Trump added, he's playing with fire, end quote. Well. Within hours, Medvedev responded on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. He wrote, "...I only know of one really bad, also in capitals, thing. World War III. I hope Trump understands this." Ooh, well, this is diplomacy at its finest. To be fair, Medvedev's signature move is really to regularly imply the use of Russia's nuclear arsenal isn't off the table.
He's like the braggadocious schoolyard bully, but with nukes. And you have to assume that given Medvedev is essentially Putin's puppet, nothing he says or writes is really at odds with Putin's own mindset. Now, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, wasted no time firing back. He called the statement, quote, reckless and accused the Kremlin of, quote, stoking fears of global war. Kellogg added that the comment was unfitting of a world power. So, while the war of words escalates, we are learning some of the details of Vladimir Putin's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine.
What are Putin's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine?
According to three Russian sources who spoke to Reuters, Putin is looking for a written pledge from the West not to expand NATO further east, particularly into Ukraine, Georgia, or Moldova. In other words, he wants the alliance to rule out membership for any former Soviet republic. In addition to NATO restrictions, Russia reportedly wants a guarantee that Ukraine will remain neutral. He's also asking for some sanctions to be lifted and for the issue of frozen Russian assets to be resolved. Finally, he's asking for protection of Russian-speaking populations inside Ukraine. Now, one of the Russian sources told Reuters, quote, Putin is ready to make peace, but not at any price, end quote. After speaking to Trump for more than two hours last week, Putin said that he had agreed to work on a memorandum that would establish the contours of a peace accord, including the timing of a ceasefire. So far, that draft memorandum has not yet been delivered and no date has been set.
What proposal did Zelensky make regarding peace talks?
Now, one could argue, if one were cynical, that Putin is simply playing the waiting game here, dangling the possibility of peace talks at some point while he waits to see how the current battlefield realities play out and while he prepares for further offensives in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky is throwing his own proposal on the table. In a press conference today, Zelensky proposed a trilateral summit between himself, Putin, and Trump to hash out terms directly. Zelensky said, quote, we are ready for the Trump, Putin, and me format. We are ready for Trump-Putin, Trump-Zelensky, and then the three of us. As for where such a meeting might take place, Zelensky mentioned three possible venues that have been previously suggested, Istanbul, Switzerland, or the Vatican. So far, neither Trump nor the Kremlin has publicly responded to that invitation. All right, coming up next, the State Department issues a stark new warning.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What warning did Russia's former president issue?
0:12–0:36
2
What risks are Americans facing in Venezuela?
0:36–1:01
3
How did Trump respond to Medvedev's comments?
1:01–2:33
4
What are Putin's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine?
2:33–3:34
5
What proposal did Zelensky make regarding peace talks?
3:34–4:32
6
What is the significance of the upcoming BRICS summit?
4:32–11:24
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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