Trump calls India, Russia ‘dead economies’: Medvedev warns of ‘dead hand’ and ‘dangerous territory’

File photo of Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president now serving as deputy chairman of the country's Security Council.

Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has issued a stern warning to US President Donald Trump after the latter referred to India and Russia as "dead economies".

Medvedev, who served as Russia's President from 2008 to 2012 and Prime Minister from 2012 to 2020, cautioned Trump "not to disregard the dangers of those he labels 'dead'," referencing a Cold War-era nuclear deterrent system.

Trump’s remarks came a day after he announced a fresh set of tariffs -- 25 per cent on Indian imports --along with additional penalties aimed at New Delhi’s military purchases from Russia. Expressing disapproval of India's longstanding defence ties with Moscow, Trump wrote, "They have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia. They are Russia's largest buyer of energy, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine."

In the same post, Trump also lashed out at India-Russia relations, saying, "I don’t care how India and Russia deal with each other. They can take their dead economies down together."

Responding on Telegram, Medvedev invoked the apocalyptic Cold War-era “Dead Hand” nuclear protocol in a veiled warning: "As for the talk about the 'dead economies' of India and Russia, and 'entering dangerous territory'—maybe he should recall his favorite movies about 'The Walking Dead,' and also remember how dangerous the so-called 'Dead Hand,' which doesn't even exist, could be."

The ‘Dead Hand,’ also known as ‘Perimeter,’ is a Soviet-era nuclear command-and-control system designed to launch a retaliatory strike even if the country’s leadership is incapacitated.

Trump had also personally targeted Medvedev, stating, "Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let's keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President, to watch his words. He's entering very dangerous territory."

In his response, Medvedev dismissed the attack, writing, "If a few words from the former president of Russia can provoke such a jittery reaction from the mighty president of the United States, then Russia must be completely in the right. We'll keep moving forward on our own path."

The exchange comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions as Washington tightens trade and military pressure on countries engaging with Moscow during the ongoing Ukraine conflict.