Is Donald Trump finally turning on Vladimir Putin? After attending the Pope’s funeral on Saturday, he posted on Truth Social, his own platform, suggesting as much.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” he wrote.

“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!!!”

First, the caveats: this is a social media post – not a policy announcement. In love and war (and much else besides), words are cheap. So believe in those secondary sanctions – which would penalise countries dealing with Russia and so have the power to cripple the Russian economy – only when you see them.

It’s worth noting that the two sentences sparking so much controversy appeared at the end of a much longer rant – one in which Trump attacked the “failing New York Times” – blamed former presidents Obama and Biden for the war – and declared it “a loser from day one.” Those are more familiar themes and suggest stubborn continuity rather than a u-turn.

Second, we do not know what has been said in private – either between Mr Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome, or between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.