Trump says Russia ‘bombing the hell’ out of Ukraine – but believes Putin wants peace
Donald Trump spoke in the Oval Office last night, where he took questions from reporters about Ukraine and Russia.
The US president, who one week ago publicly berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office over “gambling with World War Three”, said Kyiv has to “get on the ball and get the job done”.
Trump said Russia has “all the cards” and said it “may be easier” to deal with Moscow.
“They’re bombing the hell out of Ukraine… I’m finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine,” he added.
Asked if he believes Vladimir Putin when he says he wants peace, Trump said: “Yeah… I believe him”.
“I think both parties want to settle. I think we are going to get it settled,” he added.
Posting on social media yesterday, Trump said he was “strongly considering” placing additional sanctions on Russia to force it into peace talks with Ukraine.
The president also acknowledged that his decisions to halt military aid to Ukraine and stop sharing intelligence with Kyiv have caused Russia to “hit harder”.
“I think he’s doing what anyone else would do,” Trump said.