US President Donald Trump on Saturday criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for recent attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine, suggesting that the Russian leader might not be interested in ending the conflict.
In a post on Truth Social following his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome, Trump said, “Maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war,” and hinted at the possibility of additional sanctions against Moscow. “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” he stated.
“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 and Zelensky held a second meeting later on Saturday on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome. Their first interaction, a 15-minute exchange, was described as “constructive” by Kyiv.
Following the meeting, Zelensky posted on X, “Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. 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. Thank you,” along with a photograph of the meeting.
