U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Saturday (April 26, 2025) that he doubts Russia’s Vladimir Putin needs to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new scepticism {that a} peace deal might be reached quickly. Only a day earlier, Trump had stated Ukraine and Russia had been “very close to a deal.”
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump stated in a social media put up as he flew again to the United States after attending Pope Francis’ funeral on the Vatican, the place he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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Mr. Trump additionally hinted at additional sanctions towards Russia.
“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many individuals are dying!!!” Trump wrote.
The new doubts aired by Mr. Trump come because the president and high aides intensify their push to come to a deal to end the war that started in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
The feedback additionally sharply contrasted with Mr. Trump’s constructive evaluation that the 2 sides had been “very close to a deal” after his particular envoy, Steve Witkoff, had met with Putin in Moscow on Friday.
The Trump-Zelenskyy dialog on the sidelines of the pope’s funeral was the primary face-to-face encounter between the 2 leaders since they argued throughout a heated Oval Office assembly on the White House in late February. That confrontation led to the White House to briefly pause U.S. navy help and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Days after ordering the pause, Mr. Trump additionally introduced he was “strongly considering” imposing new sanctions and tariffs on Russia to strive to prod Putin to negotiate in earnest. Trump has not but adopted by way of on the menace — one thing even a few of his staunch Republican allies at the moment are pressuring him to do. In truth, when Mr. Trump introduced new world tariffs this month, one main financial system that he didn’t goal was Russia’s.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Friday urged Mr. Trump to “put the hardest of sanctions on Putin,” arguing there is “clear evidence that he is playing America as a patsy.”
It’s the second time in a matter of days that Mr. Trump has rebuked Mr. Putin, whom the American president rarely publicly criticizes.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump publicly urged the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
After their brief meeting on Saturday, Mr. Zelenskyy’s office said the U.S. and Ukrainian teams were making arrangements for the leaders to talk again on Saturday. But Trump went directly to the Rome airport after the funeral and boarded Air Force One for the 10-hour flight back to the United States.
Mr. Zelenskyy’s spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, said Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelenskyy did not meet again in person because of their tight schedules.
Mr. Zelenskyy called it a “good meeting” on social media after the funeral.
“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” said the Ukrainian leader, who also held talks Saturday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you.”
The White House referred to as the dialogue “very productive.” The meeting lasted about 15 minutes inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, where Francis often preached the need for a peaceful end to the war, just before Trump and Zelenskyy took their seats at the outdoor funeral service.
The Vatican long ago had offered to help facilitate peace talks and Francis had regularly called for peace and dialogue from the altar of the basilica. That Trump and Zelenskyy spoke privately, face to face and hunched over on chairs on the marbled floors of the pope’s home, on the day of his funeral, was perhaps a fitting way to honor his wishes.
Mr. Trump said on social media, after he arrived in Italy late Friday, that Russia and Ukraine should meet for “very high-level talks” on ending the war.
Neither Mr. Putin nor Mr. Zelenskyy have commented on Mr. Trump’s calls for direct talks.
Trump has pressed both sides to quickly come to an agreement to end the war, but while Zelenskyy agreed to an American plan for an initial 30-day halt to hostilities, Russia has not signed on and has continued to strike at targets inside Ukraine.
Putin did not attend Francis’ funeral. He faces an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, which has accused him of war crimes stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, in a statement Friday night, Zelenskyy said “very significant meetings may take place” in the coming days, and reiterated his calls for an unconditional ceasefire.
“Real pressure on Russia is needed so that they accept either the American proposal to cease fire and move towards peace, or our proposal — whichever one can truly work and ensure a reliable, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire, and then — a dignified peace and security guarantees,” he said.
“Diplomacy must succeed. And we are doing everything to make diplomacy truly meaningful and finally effective.”
The meeting on Saturday also came shortly after Trump had issued his most definitive statement to date about the need for Ukraine to give up territory to Russia to bring the war to a close. He said in a Time magazine interview published Friday that “Crimea will stay with Russia.”
Published – April 26, 2025 09:21 pm IST
