President Donald Trump escalated his public criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, declaring that the Russian leader is “playing with fire” and warning that Russia would be in a far worse position if not for Trump’s leadership.

In a midday Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”

Trump’s comments come amid renewed efforts by his administration to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine. But instead of diplomatic restraint, Trump issued his most direct rebuke yet of Putin’s war strategy. On Sunday, as he returned to the White House from West Point’s commencement ceremony, Trump told reporters, “I’m not happy with what Putin’s doing. He’s killing a lot of people.”

That remark was soon followed by a more scathing message online. “I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin… Something happened to this guy, and I don’t like it,” Trump wrote. He added that their previous rapport was solid, but recent behavior has made him question Putin’s state of mind.

“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers,” Trump stated.

The former president also warned that any attempt by Putin to annex all of Ukraine would backfire in catastrophic fashion. “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” he wrote. He denounced Russia’s escalating missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities as senseless and dangerous.

But Trump didn’t reserve all his fire for Moscow. He also took a swing at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, criticizing his public comments as inflammatory. “Likewise, President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” Trump warned.

Despite the harsh rhetoric, the Kremlin struck a more diplomatic tone in response. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow appreciated Trump’s past involvement in diplomacy, particularly referencing efforts to organize negotiations.

“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process,” Peskov said, while adding that the moment was filled with “emotional overload.”

It’s clear Trump is attempting to position himself as the adult in the room—balancing critique with authority, while signaling to both Putin and Zelensky that peace must come before pride. As the war drags on with no clear resolution, Trump’s message is a warning to Russia and a warning to the world: escalation will not go unchecked.