Overview
- In a Jan. 5 interview with TASS, Dmitri Medvedev speculated that the United States could seize foreign leaders and pointed to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as a hypothetical target.
- He denounced the reported special-forces detention of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro as a clear breach of international law.
- He argued that European jurisdictions could be next, citing Denmark and Greenland as examples in his scenario.
- He warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could face similar measures if he refuses to reach an agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump.
- He expressed partial understanding for Trump’s resource-driven realpolitik and used insulting language toward EU leaders, including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.