Washington: On Saturday, President Donald Trump of the United States voiced his growing discontent with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the recent airstrikes in Ukraine, indicating a potential shift in how he might approach relations with Moscow, including the possibility of implementing "banking" and "secondary" sanctions.
The American leader, who has previously emphasized his personal rapport with Putin as a means to resolve the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, questioned whether the Russian President was merely "tapping me along," a term that suggests someone is leading another on without genuine intent.
This latest critique of Putin follows Trump's recent appeal on Truth Social, urging him to cease the bombardment of Ukraine. "Vladimir, Stop," he stated, which many interpreted as a direct admonition to the Russian leader.
Trump expressed his dismay over Putin's missile strikes targeting civilian areas, including cities and towns, in recent days. "There is no justification for Putin to be launching missiles into civilian regions," he remarked on Truth Social, referencing the recent attacks on Kyiv. "It leads me to believe that perhaps he is not interested in ending the war; he is just stringing me along, and we may need to address him differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions.’ Too many lives are at stake."
This statement followed Trump's meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican, which took place before Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday.
Details of their conversation remain undisclosed, but a White House spokesperson characterized the meeting as “very productive.”
“Good meeting. We had a one-on-one discussion and covered a lot of ground. We are hopeful for positive outcomes from our talks,” President Zelensky shared in a social media update. He further noted that they addressed the “protection of our citizens' lives, a complete and unconditional ceasefire, and a sustainable peace to avert future conflicts.”
He concluded: “This was a highly symbolic meeting that could become historic if we achieve collaborative results. Thank you, President Donald Trump!”
Steve Witkoff, serving as the Special Envoy for President Trump, met with President Putin in Moscow on Friday.y.