President Donald Trump accused Russian leader Vladimir Putin of “tapping me along” amid fragile peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities, and towns over the last few days,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Saturday.
“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!” Trump added.
Trump’s comments came a few hours after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday. The two men were photographed sitting across from each other at the funeral of Pope Francis, the 266th head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy marked their first diplomatic encounter since a tense exchange at the White House two months ago. During the televised disagreement on February 28, Trump told Zelenskyy: “You’re either going to make a deal, or we’re out.”
“We discussed a lot one-on-one,” Zelenskyy posted on X. “Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional cease-fire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”
Late Friday, the president posted on Truth Social: “A good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine. They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off.'”
Trump hinted that negotiations were nearing a breakthrough, saying “most of the major points are agreed to,” though he didn’t provide specifics on the terms.
The US president has acknowledged that the peace talks have become “very fragile” and warned that the US will halt its mediation efforts if they fail to reach an agreement.
Ongoing peace negotiations
During his election campaign in 2023, Trump pledged to “settle” the war within the first 24 hours as president. However, negotiations are still ongoing as Ukrainians, Russians, Americans, and Europeans fail to come to a consensus on the terms of the deal.
Trump demanded on April 23 that Ukraine allow Russia the territories it has gained since the invasion. The US also proposed a plan that prevents Ukraine from NATO membership, a rare earths deal, and for Ukraine to accept Russia’s annexation of Crimea, per The New York Times.
Ukraine rejected the proposal to accept Russia’s annexation, which has become a key issue in the negotiations. Zelenskyy said Ukraine will not concede any territory to Russia.
“The United States rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored,” Zelenskyy wrote in an April 23 post on X.
On April 24, Russian forces launched deadly missile and drone strikes against Kyiv, killing at least 12 people and injuring 90.
In a rare rebuke against Putin, Trump condemned the strikes in a post on Truth Social, saying he is “not happy with the Russian strikes on Kyiv.”
“Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!” Trump wrote, “5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”
On April 1, US senators introduced legislation that would authorize sanctions against Russia if the country refuses to maintain a peace deal and engage in peace talks.
“The sanctions against Russia require tariffs on countries that purchase Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products,” the senators said in a statement. “They are hard–hitting for a reason.”
But it is unclear if Trump intends to impose new sanctions.
