Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev described US President-elect Donald Trump as a “stubborn” businessman but said that mindset could decrease Washington’s foreign aid to Moscow’s benefits.

In a Wednesday Telegram remark, Medvedev first criticized what he called “bipartisan anti-Russian consensus on Capitol Hill” before adding that Trump has a redeeming quality that’s “useful” for Moscow.

“But Trump has one quality that is useful for us: as a businessman to the core, he mortally dislikes spending money on various hangers-on and freeloaders – on idiotic allies, on bad charity projects and on gluttonous international organizations.”

“Toxic Bandera Ukraine is in the same row. The question is how much will Trump be forced to give for the war. He is stubborn, but the system is stronger,” Medvedev said.

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He also referenced his earlier remarks on Sunday, where he then said the US presidential elections “will not change anything for Russia,” and that Trump “will not stop the war,” echoing a recent statement by the Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday morning.

“The tired Trump, issuing platitudes like ‘I will offer a deal’ and ‘I have excellent relations with ...,’ will also be forced to comply with all the system rules. He will not stop the war. Not in a day, not in three days, not in three months.

Moscow Skeptical of Any Change in US Stance Toward Ukraine After Trump Victory
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Moscow Skeptical of Any Change in US Stance Toward Ukraine After Trump Victory

The Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed he doubted whether the US position on the war in Ukraine would change and said he was unaware if Moscow planned to congratulate Trump.

“And if he really tries, he can become the new JFK,” Medvedev’s Sunday Telegram remarks say, referencing former US President John F. Kennedy who de-escalated the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Medvedev served as president and prime minister of Russia between 2008 and 2020 alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. There’s a widespread belief that the two switched positions due to the now-abolished two-term limit in Russia, with Medvedev simply acting as an aide to Putin throughout his tenure.

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Medvedev, currently the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has consequently touted Russia’s nuclear redlines, whose narratives earned him the moniker of “herald of the apocalypse.”

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