Medvedev Warns of ‘Vanishing’ Ukraine After U.S. Signs Minerals Deal With Kyiv

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday mocked a new U.S.-Ukraine investment deal as forcing Kyiv to pay for military aid with its natural resources, calling Ukraine a “vanishing country.”

The deal, signed at the White House on Wednesday, was framed by President Donald Trump’s administration as a new form of U.S. commitment to Ukraine in place of direct military funding. Kyiv accepted the agreement as a long-term investment measure amid Trump’s stated goal of reducing America’s overseas military footprint.

Medvedev, a former president and prime minister, as well as one of Moscow’s most hawkish voices since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, claimed the deal amounted to Washington forcing Ukraine to “pay for American aid with minerals.”

“Trump has finally broken the Kyiv regime,” he wrote in a message on Telegram. “Now, military supplies will have to be paid for with the national wealth of a vanishing country.”

The Kremlin has not yet officially commented on the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal.

Medvedev also described Trump as battling a hostile “deep state” within the U.S. government and referenced bipartisan legislation that would impose sweeping sanctions on Russia unless it agrees to peace talks in good faith.

“The Republican-led U.S. Senate is preparing to impose more ‘crushing sanctions’ against us. We’ll see how the new administration responds,” Medvedev wrote. “Trump’s ratings have gone down, and the ‘deep state’ is fiercely resisting him.”

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the proposed Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, has secured enough co-sponsors to override a potential Trump veto. Graham, a close Trump ally, said the “bone-crushing” sanctions package was likely to face a vote in the coming weeks.

Though once considered a potential liberal counterweight to President Vladimir Putin, Medvedev now plays a marginal formal role in government and has more recently been known for his frequent anti-West tirades on social media.

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