U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Washington, DC [US], April 27 (ANI): U.S. President Donald Trump has raised doubts about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to stop the war in Ukraine and criticized Russia’s recent missile strikes, CNN reported.
Trump’s remarks came after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican on Saturday. This was their first encounter since an earlier meeting at the White House, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance had criticized Zelenskyy for what they perceived as a lack of gratitude for American support.
Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, while en route back to the U.S. from Rome, Trump hinted at the possibility of imposing further sanctions on Moscow following Russia’s latest missile attacks. He questioned whether Putin genuinely seeks to end the conflict.
Trump also criticized former President Barack Obama, suggesting that Obama’s administration enabled Russia’s annexation of Crimea without resistance. “Why doesn’t this lightweight reporter say that it was Obama who made it possible for Russia to steal Crimea from Ukraine without even a shot being fired?” Trump wrote, criticizing The New York Times and its journalist Peter Baker for what he called biased reporting.
Trump emphasized that he played no part in the ongoing war, contrasting his administration’s support for Ukraine with the actions of the Obama-Biden administration. “This is Sleepy Joe Biden’s war, not mine,” Trump declared, adding that the conflict “wouldn’t have happened” if he had been president at the time.
He further condemned recent Russian missile strikes targeting Ukrainian civilians, stating, “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas… It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war. He has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions.’ Too many people are dying,” he added.
Following their meeting, Zelenskyy described his conversation with Trump as “good” and expressed hope for a “full and unconditional ceasefire.” In a post on X, Zelenskyy said, “Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace… A very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic if we achieve joint results. Thank you POTUS.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung confirmed the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy was “very productive,” with more details expected soon. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also highlighted the significance of the meeting, calling it historic.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a separate meeting with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin, according to Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The three-hour discussion, which also involved senior Russian officials, was described by Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov as “constructive and very useful,” reportedly bringing U.S. and Russian positions closer together on Ukraine and other international matters. (ANI)
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