U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is planning to "remake the world" when he is reappointed to the White House on January 20, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.
Medvedev shared the post on his Telegram channel, weighing in on some promises Trump has made ahead of his inauguration, including that he would be able to swiftly end the war in Ukraine that Russia started in February 2022.
Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The comments from Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, come days ahead of Trump's return to the White House.
Medvedev is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, and his viewpoints often align with those of the Russian leader.
What to Know
Medvedev weighed in on a number of issues floated by Trump ahead of his second term in office, including that he would quickly end the war in Ukraine, and that he would wish the U.S. to acquire Greenland.
He called such ideas a "Trumpian political geography," which are unrealistic.
On Wednesday, Keith Kellogg, Trump's pick for special Ukraine peace envoy, said Trump hopes to end the war in Ukraine in the "near term," or within 100 days of his inauguration. He told Fox News that Trump is trying to save Ukraine and "save their sovereignty."
The prospect of peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow has been raised multiple times since the war began, and Russia has demanded that Ukraine hand over sizable chunks of its territory and that it gives up any aspirations to join the NATO military bloc.
The Kremlin has said Ukraine must accept the September 2022 annexations of its Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, which came after referendums called by Putin that were deemed illegal by the international community.
On June 14, 2024, Putin said Ukraine must also renounce any plans to join NATO. Ukraine has said NATO membership is necessary to ensure its security in the future.
Ukraine has also said that any peace deal must invalidate the annexations of its territory, and that the Crimean Peninsula, which Putin annexed in 2014, must once again be considered part of Ukraine.
What People Are Saying
Kellogg told Fox News on Wednesday: "This is a war that needs to end, and I think he can do it in the near term. People need to understand, he's not trying to give something to Putin or to the Russians, he's actually trying to save Ukraine and save their sovereignty. And he's going to make sure that it's equitable and it's fair."
"I think they're going to come to a solvable solution in the near term. ... Let's set it at 100 days."
Medvedev said on his Telegram channel on Thursday: "I don't know what Trump will be able to do during his second term, but he's starting off in an interesting way.
"The calculation is clear: quick successes in resolving the Ukrainian conflict are highly questionable, the U.S. economy is living its own leisurely life, and even the fight against migrants doesn't promise any resounding victories.
"So he simply decided to remake the world. That's right–create a new, Trumpian political geography. A new bright and colorful globe that's very different from the current boring and gray one. All these ideas are purely pipe dreams and are absolutely unrealistic."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether Trump will be able to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine to put an end to the war.
Kellogg has postponed a trip to Ukraine until after Trump's inauguration on January 20.
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