President Donald Trump said he was “absolutely” considering new sanctions against Russia, after Moscow launched a second night of deadly missile and drone strikes across much of Ukraine.Trump’s comments, made to reporters in New Jersey on Sunday before he boarded Air Force One, came as he grows visibly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the state of talks meant to deliver a ceasefire in Ukraine.
“I’m not happy with what Putin is doing,” Trump said. “He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin. I’ve known him a long time — always gotten along with him — but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
Ukrainian authorities said at least 12 people were killed in Russian airstrikes overnight, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to renew his call for more sanctions. The attacks coincided with a third day of prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.Trump repeatedly questioned “what’s wrong” with Putin. “We’re in the middle of talking, and he’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities,” he said. “I don’t like it at all.”
“I’m not happy with what Putin is doing,” Trump said. “He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin. I’ve known him a long time — always gotten along with him — but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
Ukrainian authorities said at least 12 people were killed in Russian airstrikes overnight, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to renew his call for more sanctions. The attacks coincided with a third day of prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.Trump repeatedly questioned “what’s wrong” with Putin. “We’re in the middle of talking, and he’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities,” he said. “I don’t like it at all.”
Trump’s comments mark a shift in his approach to the two countries, where previously Zelenskiy bore the brunt of US pressure for an end to the war that began in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion.
Trump had been cool to the idea of ratcheting up pressure on Putin with sanctions earlier this month. Possibilities could include new sanctions targeting Russia’s oil trade or oil company Rosneft.
