Trump said Russia’s economy “stinks” and warned low oil prices will cripple Putin’s war effort

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Russia’s economy “stinks” and claimed that falling oil prices would crush Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

“Putin will stop killing people if you get energy down another $10 a barrel. He’s going to have no choice because his economy stinks,” Trump said during a live interview on Squawk Box. He made it clear that he believes oil revenue is the backbone of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and if it dries up, the war ends.

This is part of Trump’s long-running one-man feud with Putin, who has refused to even acknowledge Trump’s existence for over a month. Putin hasn’t responded once, not even with a passing comment. Instead, it’s been Dmitry Medvedev, his closest confidant and former president, doing the talking, on X no less.

Medvedev called Trump’s demands dangerous and said they’re pushing the U.S. closer to war with itself. He also reminded the world that Putin doesn’t see Trump as an equal, so he will never take the bait.

Trump cuts deadline, threatens tariffs, deploys subs

Tensions between Washington and Moscow got worse when Trump shortened the timeline for a Ukraine peace deal. Last Monday, he announced that the original 50-day window was now less than two weeks. If Putin doesn’t agree to stop the war, Trump plans to slap harsh secondary tariffs on countries still trading with Russia. It’s his way of forcing others to choose sides.

Medvedev responded quickly. “Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war,” he wrote on X. “Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country.” Trump followed up on Friday by saying he had ordered two U.S. nuclear submarines to be moved to “the appropriate regions,” clearly referring to Russian-controlled waters.

Trump has also been attacking New Delhi and PM Narendra Modi for buying discounted Russian oil and reselling it for big profits. “India has not been a good trading partner,”