President Trump didn’t hold back Tuesday when blasting Russian President Vladimir Putin, slamming him for his deceptive messaging while the war in Ukraine continues to inflict heavy casualties.
“A lot of people are dying and it should end,” the president told reporters during a Cabinet meeting. “We get a lot of [profanity] thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Putin, now 72, has gone out of his way in recent months to praise Trump, age 79, trying to charm him with over-the-top gestures — including commissioning a portrait by a top Russian painter. Putin even relayed to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff that he lit a candle in church after last year’s attempt on Trump’s life.
Despite his public comments about building peace with the United States, Putin has pressed on with the war in Ukraine. Russian forces have continued deadly assaults, including drone strikes targeting civilians.
Trump spoke with Putin by phone on July 3. After the call, he expressed deep dissatisfaction, saying Putin seems intent on prolonging the bloodshed. “It just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people,” he remarked.
On July 4, the president had what he called a “good call” with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Speaking Tuesday, Trump praised Ukraine for its resilience and determination in the face of a powerful enemy.
“The Ukrainians were brave but I will say we gave them the best equipment ever made,” said the president, adding that the U.S. would continue supplying weapons and gear to Kyiv. “The Ukrainians, whether you think it’s unfair we gave all that money or not, they were very brave.”
Bringing the war in Ukraine to a close has become one of Trump’s central foreign policy goals. Although Ukraine has repeatedly signaled openness to a ceasefire, Russia has shown no interest in stopping its offensive.
“They had the benefit of unbelievable equipment,” Trump said, while criticizing the previous administration’s aid strategy. “We gave them far more because Biden shouldn’t have done that … We should’ve given less than Europe.”
After a face-to-face with Zelensky at last month’s NATO summit in The Hague, Trump mentioned he was “looking into” the option of providing Ukraine with Patriot missiles to strengthen its defenses.
However, just days later, the administration announced a pause on some previously planned military aid packages, including shipments of Patriots, pending a reassessment of America’s weapons inventory.
When asked about the halt in deliveries, Trump said, “I don’t know” who was responsible for the decision.
“Putin is not treating human beings right,” Trump added. “He’s killing too many people, so we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine that I have approved.”
The president didn’t give any details about what specific weapons systems he was greenlighting or the quantity that would be delivered.
{Matzav.com}