At the battle of Stirling Bridge, 11 September 1297, the movie Braveheart has William Wallace provoking the English to battle, saying "Here are Scotland's terms. Lower your flags, and march straight back to England, stopping at every home to beg forgiveness for 100 years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today. ... Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own ass."
Putin's Nuclear Crisis - July 2025
Dmitry Medvedev, currently deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, accused the United States of playing a "game of ultimatums" in response to Trump's announcement that he had shortened a 50-day deadline for Russia to stop its war against Ukraine to 10 days. On his X page from July 28, Medvedev wrote that "each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war." He further urged Trump not to "follow the path" of former US President Joe Biden, whom Moscow had numerously accused of escalating tensions with Russia.
Trump called Medvedev a "failed" former president who is treading closer into the perilous zone of nuclear warfare between the countries. "Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President, to watch his words. He's entering very dangerous territory!"
Medvedev responded once more, pointing to the "nervous" reaction of the American president, saying that Trump's response simply proved that Russia was right in its policy choices and should maintain its course in its special operation in Ukraine until all its military objectives are accomplished. After being told by Trump to "watch his words" on July 31, Medvedev went further reminding the US president of Russia's 'Dead Hand' command system designed to automatically launch Moscow's nuclear missiles if the country's leadership had been taken out. Medvedev, in a Telegram post on Thursday, told Trump to remember "how dangerous the mythical Dead Hand can be." "Dead Hand" is a doomsday nuclear weapons control system developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The decades-old world-ending control system, if activated, would automatically or semi-automatically launch all the nuclear missiles at enemy targets. "If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right," Medvedev added.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Medvedev been one of the most outspoken anti-Western hawks in Moscow. Some Kremlin critics consider him an irresponsible extremist, while others say his statements reflect the thinking of many senior Russian policymakers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s right-hand man lauded President Trump 29 July 2025 for shortening the time frame for Russia to show willingness to make peace with Kyiv — saying it will let Vladimir Putin know that Washington is “serious” about ending the war in Ukraine. “When the US leads, the free world follows. When America is serious, Russia backs down,” said Andriy Yermak — who runs the Ukrainian office of the president and seen as the equivalent to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. “We have seen that before, and we are starting to see it again.” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Russia now had just 10 days — until Aug. 8 — to avoid economic sanctions aimed at stopping the flow of cash funding Moscow’s more than 41-month-old invasion.
Putin, who had not responded to Trump's ultimatum, said that he wanted a "lasting and stable peace" in Ukraine. In the past, Russian officials have criticized Trump over his "theatrical" ultimatums, warning the Americans that such pressure tactics escalated the tensions between the two countries, increasing the risk of a direct confrontation between the two nuclear powers. During the election campaign, Trump repeatedly promised the Americans he would end the Ukraine war in just 24 hours.
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