President Trump expressed his frustration on Sunday with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he navigates the complex landscape of the three-year-old war between Russia and Ukraine, seeking a potential truce.
While Mr. Trump told reporters that “we’re making a lot of progress,” he also admitted that “there’s tremendous hatred” between the two leaders, signaling that the negotiations might not result in the quick resolution he had promised during his campaign.
His criticism began during an early morning NBC News interview while at his private club, Mar-a-Lago in Florida. He expressed anger at Putin for questioning Zelenskyy’s credibility.
Recently, Putin remarked that Zelenskyy doesn’t have the legitimacy to negotiate a peace agreement and implied that Ukraine may require external governance.
Trump mentioned the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Russia, which is already under heavy financial strain, and suggested implementing tariffs to weaken its oil exports.
The Republican president seldom criticizes Putin and has previously undermined Zelenskyy’s credibility. For instance, Trump has claimed that Ukraine instigated the conflict that began three years ago with Russia’s invasion and insisted that Zelenskyy should conduct elections, despite such actions being illegal under Ukraine’s martial law.
On his return flight to Washington Sunday evening, Trump reiterated his frustrations with Putin but moderated his tone slightly.
“I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word,” he stated. “I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.”
When asked about a timeline for a Russian ceasefire agreement, Trump mentioned a “psychological deadline.”
“If I sense that they’re stringing us along, I will be very displeased,” he remarked.
The next day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin “remains open to contact with President Trump,” clarifying that although there is no scheduled call, their conversation will be organized promptly when necessary.
Peskov also mentioned that Russia “continues to collaborate with the United States to enhance bilateral relations.”
Later on his flight on Sunday evening, Mr. Trump shifted focus to critiquing Zelenskyy.
“He’s attempting to back out of the rare earth deal,” Trump stated, referring to discussions about U.S. access to essential minerals in Ukraine. “And if he does that, he’s facing problems. Big, big problems.”
Originally, Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy were expected to finalize the deal during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the White House, but their meeting ended with acrimony that was visible in front of television cameras in the Oval Office.
Trump claimed on Sunday that Zelenskyy seeks to “renegotiate the deal” for better security assurances.
“He wants to join NATO,” he remarked. “Well, he was never going to become a NATO member. He knows that.”
Russia has effectively dismissed a U.S. proposal for an immediate and complete 30-day halt to the fighting in Ukraine, and the prospect of a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea was put into question after Kremlin negotiators imposed extensive conditions.
Trump’s comments on Putin follow weeks of mounting pressure on Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire.
Simultaneously, Russian drones targeted a military hospital, a shopping center, and residential buildings in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, resulting in two deaths and numerous injuries.
The General Staff of Ukraine condemned the “deliberate, targeted shelling” of the military hospital late Saturday, noting that some of the casualties were service members receiving treatment. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that the deceased included a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman.
Ukrainian government and military analysts have indicated that Russian forces are gearing up for a new military offensive in the coming weeks to intensify pressure on Kyiv and strengthen the Kremlin’s leverage in ceasefire negotiations.
