US President Donald Trump expressed disappointment over Russia’s recent missile strike on Kyiv while urging Russian leader Vladimir Putin to demonstrate willingness to end the war in Ukraine.
“I was very disappointed that missiles were flying. By Russia,” Trump told journalists before boarding Air Force One from New Jersey.
The US president called on Putin to halt military operations and pursue a peace agreement. “I want him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal,” Trump said.
He suggested that a framework for an agreement might already exist.
Trump also commented on his recent 15-minute meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Vatican, describing it as “a nice meeting” and “a beautiful meeting.”
Trump said that Zelenskyy requested additional weapons during their meeting, adding that the Ukrainian president “has been saying that for three years.”
The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy took place on 26 April in Rome during events related to Pope Francis’s funeral. Zelenskyy had emphasized the potential historic significance of this meeting, while the White House described it as “very productive.”
Following the meeting, Trump criticized Putin for strikes on Ukrainian cities and suggested the Russian leader might be “just tapping me along” rather than genuinely seeking to end the war.
Trump indicated that the coming days could be revealing regarding Putin’s intentions. “We’ll see what happens over the next few days. We’ll probably learn a lot,” he said.
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