By Associated Press’s WILL WEISSERT
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, claiming that Moscow’s protracted war in Ukraine is killing many people on both sides.
I can tell you right now that I’m not satisfied with him. Trump remarked of Putin in a meeting with his Cabinet, “This is killing a lot of people.”
The president also admitted that his earlier claims that he might be able to persuade the president of Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine sooner have proven to be more difficult to implement.
It was noteworthy for a president who, albeit less so in recent months, has frequently complimented the Russian leader and has virtually sided with him in the past.
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Trump made the remarks at the Cabinet meeting a day after declaring that the US would now send more weapons to Ukraine, drastically reversing an earlier announcement that crucial, previously authorized firepower deliveries to Kyiv would be halted due to worries that America’s military stockpiles had drastically decreased.
Defensive weapons were what we intended to install. Trump explained the revocation of the moratorium during the Cabinet meeting by saying that Putin is not treating people humanely. Too many individuals are being killed. I have therefore given my approval for us to transfer some defensive weapons to Ukraine.
According to three people familiar with the situation, Trump’s decision to lift the pause comes after he privately vented his annoyance at Pentagon officials for announcing a halt in some deliveries last week, an action he believed was improperly coordinated with the White House.
On Tuesday, however, the president declined to elaborate on that issue.
He jokingly responded, “I don’t know,” when a reporter questioned him about the weapons pause’s first approval. Would you mind telling me?
However, Trump’s frank criticism of Putin, particularly after he approved the return of U.S. weaponry to Ukraine, shows how dramatically his views on Russia and Ukraine policy have changed since he took office again in January. It also reveals how difficult it has been to navigate the ongoing tension.
During his campaign last year, Trump claimed he could put an immediate stop to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. By April, however, he was urging Putin to stop the military attacks on the Ukrainian capital by utilizing his Truth Social account.
Stop it, Vladimir! He penned it. However, since then, Russia has persisted in its massive attacks on Ukraine, and Trump’s public statements about Putin have gotten worse.
Following a phone conversation with Putin last week, Trump expressed his displeasure with Russia’s leadership and stated, “I don’t think he’s looking to stop the war.” Trump then declared, “I’m not happy with President Putin at all,” at the beginning of a dinner he threw for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday night.
Trump refused to elaborate when asked at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting what his mounting annoyance with Putin might signify for American foreign policy.
The Ukrainians were courageous, I must admit. However, Trump said that we provided them with the best equipment ever produced. He added that Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine might have otherwise triggered what most likely would have been a fairly short war if it hadn’t been for American military assistance and armaments.
He claimed that although the fight would have lasted three or four days, they benefited from incredible equipment.
