Trump Expresses Discontent with Putin Call and Teases Possible Sanctions against Russia

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his dissatisfaction regarding a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin concerning the conflict in Ukraine, stating that the Russian leader seemed intent on «continuing to kill people.»

«It’s a challenging situation. I mentioned that I was quite unhappy with my conversation with President Putin. He wants to escalate things further, just perpetuating violence, which is unacceptable,» Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

Additionally, Trump suggested he might be prepared to impose stricter sanctions on Russia after spending the last six months attempting to persuade Putin to cease hostilities.

«We often discuss sanctions,» Trump remarked. «He realizes that they could be on the horizon.»

Furthermore, Trump disclosed that he had a «very strategic call» with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the same day, as anxiety grew in Kyiv regarding the delivery of U.S. military assistance.

Earlier, Zelensky mentioned that the two leaders had resolved to collaborate on «strengthening» Ukraine’s air defense systems in light of the most significant Russian drone and missile attacks since the invasion began.

Trump also indicated that he had talked about providing Patriot missile systems to Ukraine in a separate discussion with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday, although he had not yet committed to this action.

Merz «believes they need protection,» Trump added.