US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Vladimir Putin for "talking bulls**t" and opened up about his discussions with the Russian President about peace in Ukraine.
Trump's told reporters that he held separate telephone calls with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.
During these discussions, Trump pushed for both sides to engage in peace talks but his efforts met with resistance from the Kremlin.
Putin flatly rejected Trump's plea for a ceasefire, according to sources familiar with the conversations.
Donald Trump hit out at the Russian president in a Cabinet meeting
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The US President told reporters: "It was a war that should have never happened. And a lot of people are dying and it should end."
"A lot of people are dying and it should end. We get a lot of bulls**t 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."
He added: “The Ukrainians were brave, but I will say this, we gave them the best equipment ever made."
"They had the benefit of unbelievable equipment,” Trump said. “We gave them far more because Biden shouldn’t have done that … We should’ve given less than Europe.”
He stated: "I'm very unhappy with Russia. There's no reason for this."
Following the calls, Trump expressed his disappointment with Putin's stance to reporters.
He complained that Putin "just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people," sharing his growing frustration with Moscow's unwillingness to pursue diplomatic solutions to end the bloodshed.
Trump indicated he is "seriously considering" supporting new sanctions legislation against Russia currently being proposed in the Senate.
When asked about his interest in the bill, the president responded: "I'm looking at it very strongly."
After meeting with President Zelensky at last month’s Nato summit in The Hague, Donald Trump said he was actively considering sending US-made Patriot interceptor missiles to bolster Ukraine’s defences.
Donald Trump said he was actively considering sending US-made Patriot interceptor missiles to bolster Ukraine’s defences.
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But within days, the administration announced it was halting a shipment of key military aid, including the Patriots, following a reassessment of American weapons stockpiles.
Asked about the decision on Tuesday, Trump admitted he was in the dark, telling reporters: “I don’t know” who made the call to pause the delivery.
“Putin is not treating human beings right,” he added.
“He’s killing too many people, so we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine that I have approved.”