Trump upset with telephone talk with Putin after halting some arms shipments to Ukraine
US President Donald Trump says he is not pleased with the telephone conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said, “I am very disappointed with the conversation.”
He also said, “I’m just saying I don’t think he is looking to stop, and that’s too bad.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Thursday with US President Donald Trump said he plans to keep fighting in Ukraine, until Russia achieves its goal of eliminating what it calls the “root causes” of the conflict.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Trump again pressed for an early ceasefire during the conversation, which lasted about an hour.
But Putin stressed that Moscow will not back down until its conditions are met. Russia has been demanding “Ukraine’s neutrality.”
Trump said he did not make any progress at all, and he is unhappy with the outcome.
Their talk took place two days after the Trump administration confirmed it halted some weapons shipments to Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the shipments were already in Poland when they were halted. It said they include Patriot air-defense interceptors and Stinger surface-to-air missiles.
Ukraine is closely watching to see if the United States will keep providing it with military aid.
The move has raised concerns that Ukraine’s casualties from the Russian invasion could increase due to a possible decline in the country’s air defense capabilities.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that the Russian military carried out a massive attack on Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, with more than 500 drones and missiles from Thursday night through Friday.
Zelenskyy said in a social media post on Friday that 23 people have been injured in the latest Russian strikes.
He said: “This was one of the most large-scale air attacks. Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror.”
Russian forces have been intensifying attacks across Ukraine. In June alone, they launched around 5,400 long-range drones over Ukraine, which is more than in any month since Russia’s invasion.