Dmitri Medvedev suggests that the United States should assassinate Volodymyr Zelensky

Gabriel Dumitrache

25 October 2026, 16:12

International

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Dmitri Medvedev, former president of Russia and current deputy chairman of Moscow’s Security Council, suggested that the United States should assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The statement, addressed to U.S. President Donald Trump, was reported by Nexta.

Medvedev used extremely aggressive language and allegedly asked Trump to summon the defense secretary and the CIA director to “resolve” what he called an “unpleasant problem.” The statement represents the Russian official’s latest outburst, as he is known for threats concerning a possible nuclear conflict and the outbreak of World War III.

In his previous messages, Medvedev argued that Russia can protect its interests only through demonstrations of force and by instilling “instinctive fear” in Europe. He accused Germany and other European states of preparing a new invasion against Russia, which he compared to the Nazi “Barbarossa” operation.

The recent statements came after Germany designated Moscow as the main threat to its own security and to NATO and began preparing its civilian infrastructure for the possibility of an armed conflict. Medvedev also repeated accusations concerning Germany’s allegedly incomplete denazification after World War II.

Context: before Medvedev’s tirade, tensions between Trump, Zelensky and Putin were fueled by discussions about replacing the Ukrainian leader and a possible trilateral meeting

Before the statement attributed to Dmitry Medvedev, Donald Trump exerted public pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting that Ukraine needed “a new leader” capable of reaching an agreement with Russia. At the same time, statements by Ukrainian officials criticized the idea and said that, in Kyiv’s view, the demand came from both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Against the backdrop of these tensions, information also emerged about a diplomatic initiative: the US administration was reportedly preparing a trilateral US–Ukraine–Russia summit, while CIA Director John Ratcliffe proposed a meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky during his visit to Moscow. On the Russian side, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that such a summit would be possible only to formalize agreements that had already been prepared, while Zelensky was informed about the discussions and officials in Kyiv remained skeptical.