President Donald Trump demanded that Russian President Vladimir Putin halt strikes on Kyiv, Ukraine, as Washington continues its efforts to broker a peace deal.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the peace deal DONE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Thursday attack on Ukraine killed at least nine and injured at least 70, including children, Ukraine said.
Trump expressed hope on Easter that Russia and Ukraine could reach a deal this week, saying that once an agreement is reached, they would be able to “start to do big business with the United States of America…”
On April 11, in another Truth Social post, Trump urged Russia “to get moving” toward ending the war, lamenting that “too many people are dying” in a war that he described as “senseless.”
TRUMP INSISTS UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE, BUT MISTRUST IN PUTIN LEAVES EXPERTS SKEPTICAL
Trump administration officials claimed they had productive talks with Putin, but they have yet to secure a deal that would end the war that has been raging since Russia’s February 2022 invasion. Recently, several members of the administration suggested that the U.S. could end its efforts to secure a peace deal if Ukraine and Russia do not start making significant moves toward ending the war.
Vice President JD Vance appeared to issue an ultimatum to Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday: make a deal or risk the U.S. walking away.
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the U.S. to walk away from this process. We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy, of on-the-ground work,” Vance told reporters.
TRUMP SAYS ‘INFLAMMATORY’ ZELENSKYY STATEMENT ON CRIMEA PROLONGS WAR WITH RUSSIA
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters something similar on April 18, when he said that the president was nearing “a point where he’s going to say, well, we’re done.”
Trump also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for making an “inflammatory” statement that the U.S. president said was “very harmful” to peace efforts. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would not recognize Russian control of Crimea, which was taken in 2014. Trump downplayed Zelenskyy’s red line, saying it was “not even up for discussion.”
In the Truth Social post from Wednesday, Trump appeared to allude to his infamous clash with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, calling the Ukrainian leader “the man with no cards to play.” This echoed Trump’s remarks during the tense February meeting in which he said that Zelenskyy didn’t “have the cards” to make major demands in peace talks.
