President Donald Trump expressed his strong disapproval of Russia’s recent large-scale strikes on Ukraine and directed his ire at Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he said he’s “not happy” with.
Trump spoke to reporters shortly before boarding Air Force One on Sunday and responded to the significant escalation by Putin in the Ukraine war, which has included two large-scale missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, just this weekend.
Asked to give an update as Russia and Ukraine seek an elusive ceasefire agreement in a conflict that has stretched over three years, Trump made clear his frustration with the Russian president’s continued aggression, saying, “I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin.”
“I’m not happy with what Putin is doing. 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. We’re in the middle of talking, and he’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities,” Trump said.
Those Russian strikes came amid a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, which Trump suggested last week could “lead to something big.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
But the fighting has only continued, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated earlier Sunday that he has already introduced three new sanctions packages against Russia.
While U.S. officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been hesitant about pursuing sanctions against Russia due to them possibly derailing peace talks, Trump said on Sunday that he would “absolutely” consider them.
