Trump warns Kremlin: Heed caution or face consequences

• Trump's warning: The US Department of State spokeswoman, Tammy Bruce, stressed that Russia should take Donald Trump's warnings seriously, as he stated that Putin is "playing with fire."
• Diplomatic approach: Despite the warnings, Washington is still pursuing direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, believing the conflict cannot end by military means.
• Kremlin's reaction: The Kremlin reacted to Trump's criticism by labelling it as an effect of "emotional overload."

"I’m not going to speak about the President’s emotions, but I think one reason why he was elected with a mandate last year is that we can all relate to him. He’s transparent. He’s doing something he cares passionately about," the spokeswoman said.

"If the Russians cared about the nature of how this is proceeding, they would be thinking less about that and more about what they could do, which is in their hands, to stop the carnage and the slaughter that’s happening right now. And so it’s, I think, pretty clear where both sides are at this point," she added.

Quoting Trump's posts that "Putin has gone completely crazy" and that "if it weren't for him, bad things could happen to Russia," Bruce stated that "Russia should take this seriously."

"There are many different things that the President has at his disposal to make sure that our position is felt and that that can be used to make an impact to stop this carnage," she emphasised, adding that Trump "lets his anger be felt by Russia."

When asked about additional support for Ukraine, the State Department spokeswoman said that the war in Ukraine cannot end with military means. She emphasised that the Trump administration still advocates direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.