President Donald Trump stopped short of outright castigating Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday but suggested he is growing tired of Russia‘s ongoing offensive against Ukraine.
Trump made the comments while flying to the Netherlands on Tuesday morning to attend the NATO summit. Though Trump’s Saturday decision to launch airstrikes against Iran will likely overshadow this week’s meeting of the NATO leaders, the treaty organization is expected to end the summit with a condemnation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
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Trump has infuriated European leaders with his claims that both Ukraine and Russia bear responsibility for their three-year-plus war. However, in recent weeks, Trump has grown visibly frustrated with Putin as Russia has failed to commit to a lasting ceasefire.
“Well, I’ll have to take a look at it. But, you know, I’d like to see a deal with Russia,” Trump responded when asked Tuesday if he would sign on to a condemnation of Putin alongside the other NATO leaders. “As you know, Vladimir called me up. He said, ‘Can I help you with Iran?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t need help with Iran. I need help with you,’ and I hope we’re going to be getting a deal done with Russia.”
During that same Q&A session, Trump notably declined to fully uphold NATO’s Article 5 on the mutual defense of NATO member states.
“It depends on your definition. There’s numerous definitions of Article Five,” Trump said. “You know that, right? But I’m committed to being their friend. You know, I’ve become friends with many of those leaders, and I’m committed to helping them.”
“I’m committed to saving lives. I’m committed to life and safety,” he clarified later in the briefing. “And I’m going to give you an exact definition when I get there. I just don’t want to do it on the back of an airplane.”
TRUMP HEADS TO NATO IN WAKE OF LATEST IRAN DEVELOPMENTS
You can watch Trump’s comments in full below.