Fred Fleitz told Newsmax on Monday that a threatening social media post by Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, reflects desperation in Moscow after what he described as a strong show of unity between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Fleitz on "American Agenda" reacted to a post Monday on X in which Medvedev lashed out at Zelenskyy in crude terms and warned that the Ukrainian leader would have to "stay in hiding for the rest of his worthless life."
The remark followed Zelenskyy's Sunday meeting with Trump at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
"I think it seems to be a tweet sent in desperation," said Fleitz, National Security Council chief of staff in Trump's first term. "There was really good news for Ukraine yesterday. The relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy could not have been stronger."
Fleitz said Trump delivered an important message during the meeting by signaling he would not impose an artificial deadline on negotiations to end the war.
Trump previously mentioned possible deadlines tied to Thanksgiving or this month but has now backed away from that approach.
"Trump said something very important. He said there's no deadline," Fleitz said. "Now he's sending the message to Putin that I'm going to stick with Zelenskyy if he stays on the game plan, and you can't wait me out."
According to Fleitz, that shift undermines a key Russian strategy of prolonging the conflict in hopes that Western support for Ukraine would weaken.
Medvedev's rhetoric, he argued, is evidence that the Kremlin sees the renewed alignment between Washington and Kyiv as a setback.
"This is enormously good news for Ukraine," Fleitz said.
Fleitz cautioned that a negotiated settlement remains difficult and is unlikely to happen quickly, despite recent diplomatic momentum.
"Peacemaking is hard. It is a slog," he said. "There will be many rounds of this. I don't think peace is around the corner."
Still, Fleitz said sustained coordination among the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine could increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"If the U.S. and Europe and Ukraine are working together, it will put substantially more pressure on Putin," Fleitz said, adding that he hopes it could lead to a ceasefire.
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