President Trump said today that he was “very disappointed” that Russia had continued to drop bombs on Ukraine while the U.S. was trying to quickly broker a deal to end the war. However, Trump declined to suggest any potential consequences for the Kremlin.
Instead, the president said that he would wait to see the results of negotiations over the next two weeks to establish whether President Vladimir Putin of Russia was stringing him along. Some of Trump’s allies in Congress have urged him to impose new sanctions on Russia. But he said that he hadn’t done so because he felt he was close to a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump also argued that his recent criticism of Putin — who he said had “gone absolutely CRAZY” over the weekend — spoke “pretty loud.”
In the Oval Office today, Trump issued a warning to another foreign leader he has spoken approvingly of: He said he had told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel that it would be inappropriate to take action against Iran right now, during negotiations for a nuclear deal.
In other Trump administration news:
Trump granted clemency to Michael Grimm, a former Republican representative, and Larry Hoover, the co-founder of a Chicago gang.
The president tapped his former defense lawyer, Emil Bove, to be a federal appeals judge.
Elon Musk said he was “disappointed” in the Republican bill to enact Trump’s agenda.
Trump erupted when asked about “TACO,” or Trump Always Chickens Out, a term a Financial Times columnist coined to refer to market movements that follow the president’s tariff threats and reversals.
Canada wants to kill 400 ostriches. Two top Trump officials want to save them.