Just hours after threatening Russia with sanctions, Trump says he trusts Putin over Zelenskyy

US President Donald Trump on Friday claimed that he finds working with Russia “easier” than Ukraine over his ongoing efforts to finish the conflict between the 2 nations.
While briefing the media from the Oval workplace in White House, Trump mentioned that he belief Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I believe him,” he mentioned.
“I’m finding it more difficult frankly to deal with Ukraine and they don’t have the cards. It may be easier dealing with Russia,” he added.
This got here simply hours after Trump threatened Russia saying that he is “strongly considering” levying new sanctions and tariffs for its conflict towards Ukraine.
Trump, in a publish on his Truth Social platform, mentioned he was contemplating the motion “based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now.”
“To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late,” Trump added in his publish.
Earlier, Trump had additionally paused the army assist and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Days earlier, he and Vice President JD Vance publicly rebuked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of missing gratitude for US army help.
The US has since voted alongside Russia on the UN, diverging from European allies by not explicitly supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Trump has additionally confronted backlash for a latest cellphone name with Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling a possible shift in US-Russia relations and a rollback of sanctions imposed below President Joe Biden.