United States President Donald Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the continued war in Ukraine, suggesting that his administration is considering imposing further sanctions on Moscow.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Trump accused Putin of being disingenuous and blamed him for the rising death toll on both sides of the conflict.
“We get a lot of b******t thrown at us by Putin,” Trump said bluntly, adding, “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” He went on to say that Putin was “killing a lot of people” — both Russian soldiers and Ukrainian forces.
When asked about a bipartisan sanctions bill being considered in the US Senate, Trump responded, “I’m looking at it very strongly,” but declined to elaborate further.
“I wouldn’t be telling you. Don’t we want to have a little surprise?” he remarked, before shifting the discussion to last month’s US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The comments came as French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking before the British Parliament, reaffirmed European support for Kyiv, declaring that Europe would “never abandon Ukraine.” Macron said France and the UK would continue to work with a “coalition of the willing” to push for a ceasefire and sustainable peace.
“We will fight till the very last minute in order to get the ceasefire, in order to start the negotiations to build this robust and sustainable peace,” Macron said, stressing that the conflict in Ukraine is “our security and our principles together” at stake.
Earlier in the day, Trump had announced plans to dispatch additional weapons to Ukraine. The shipment will reportedly include mainly defensive systems, though specific details were not disclosed. The Pentagon had recently paused certain transfers due to concerns over depleted stockpiles and is said to be undergoing a “capability review” to assess US readiness.
Despite campaigning on a promise to end the Ukraine conflict swiftly, Trump’s efforts to de-escalate the war have seen little success. Direct diplomacy, including several calls with Putin, has failed to bring about a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the situation remains tense. Russia claimed on Monday to have taken control of Dachne, a village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, amid a continued push along multiple front lines.
In May, Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Turkiye and agreed to a limited prisoner exchange, but negotiations on a broader truce have since stalled. On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was still awaiting Kyiv’s response regarding dates for the next round of talks.
“As soon as dates are agreed – and we hope that it will be done – we will make an announcement,” Peskov said.
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