Donald Trump<\/a> has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian president Vladimir Putin<\/a> as Moscow intensifies its attacks on Ukraine<\/a>, US secretary of state Marco Rubio<\/a> told Russia\u2019s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov<\/a>. <\/p>\n The secretary of state expressed to Mr Lavrov that the US president had publicly expressed his disappointment that \u201cthere\u2019s not been more flexibility on the Russian side to bring about an end to this conflict\u201d, only a day after Ukraine reported a record-breaking aerial strike<\/a> which saw more than 700 drones and missiles launched by Russia.<\/p>\n It was the second time Mr Rubio had met Mr Lavrov in person, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers\u2019 meeting in Malaysia for a \u201cfrank conversation\u201d where they discussed a possible peace deal with Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mr Rubio\u2019s statement comes as President Trump put his foot down during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday in which he said: \u201cWe get a lot of bulls*** thrown at us by Putin,\u201d<\/a> adding: \u201cHe\u2019s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.\u201d <\/p>\n While Mr Trump\u2019s support for Ukraine has been inconsistent since he entered the Oval Office, he recently vowed to send more defensive weapons to Kyiv<\/a> days after the Pentagon decided to stall critical munition supplies to the war-torn country.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Ukraine\u2019s president Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a> met with world leaders at the Ukraine recovery conference in Rome, where he described the \u201cterrorism\u201d of Russia\u2019s increased drone strikes<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cUkrainians now face attacks by hundreds of these drones every single night, and this is pure terrorism,\u201d he said, hours after Ukraine\u2019s air force reported 415 drone and missile strikes that had killed two people and injured more than 23 people. Particular damage was done to the capital, with nearly every part of Kyiv impacted by the drone and missile attacks.<\/p>\n Addressing his global counterparts, Mr Zelensky urged allies to \u201cmore actively\u201d use frozen Russian assets for rebuilding, adding that Ukraine needs more air defence systems and missiles and urging allies to increase their investments.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Russia increases its attacks, we cannot have a shortage of funding for drone production.\u201d<\/p>\n Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni announced at the start of the two-day conference that participants had pledged over \u20ac10bn (\u00a38.6bn) to help rebuild Ukraine, with Ursula Von Der Leyen<\/a>, president of the European Commission, announcing \u20ac2.3bn funding. <\/p>\n This will reportedly cover barely a fraction of the costs needed to rebuild the country; a report by the United Nations in February put the estimated total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine at \u20ac506bn over the next decade.<\/p>\n The updated joint Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, commissioned by the Ukrainian government, the World Bank Group, the European Commission and the UN, covers damage incurred since the intensified conflict erupted in February 2022, up to the end of 2024.<\/p>\n![\"Volodymyr](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ITALY-UKRAINE-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-gslytrjp.jpeg\")
Volodymyr Zelensky met with Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni and other world leaders in Rome, who pledged \u20ac10m (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n