President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he travels to the funeral of Pope Francis aboard Air Force One, April 25, 2025. In response to a White House proposal to end the war in Ukraine that critics say would grant the Kremlin much of what it wants, Ukraine’s leadership has drafted a counteroffer they plan to deliver to Trump’s team. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
- Trump questioned Putin's commitment to ending the war after meeting with Zelenskyy and seeing escalating attacks.
- The president threatened new banking and secondary sanctions against Russia amid stalled peace negotiations.
- Trump's sterner tone follows recent Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and pressure from fellow Republicans.
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President Donald Trump said Saturday that Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine had left him concerned that Russia did not want to end the war as he issued an unusually stern rebuke of President Vladimir Putin and threatened new sanctions on Moscow.
Shifting Tone Towards Putin
“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,” Trump wrote of the Russian assault, hours after holding an impromptu meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Vatican.
Trump wrote on social media that “too many people” were dying and that “there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns.” He said he was considering banking sanctions as well as “secondary sanctions,” penalties imposed on nations or parties that trade with the sanctioned country.
Peace Talks at a Sensitive Juncture
The statement came at a sensitive moment in the talks to end three years of full-scale conflict between Russia and Ukraine and after the United States proposed a peace plan this past week that sharply favored Russia.
Trump, who upbraided Zelenskyy at the White House in February and has at times cast him as an impediment to peace, has maintained he is exerting pressure on both countries to secure a deal.
But after Russia on Thursday launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, that killed at least 12 people, Trump wrote on social media: “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Republican Pressure Mounts
Since the assault, Trump has faced some pressure from within his party to take a harder line on Moscow.
In a statement Friday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, urged Trump to place heavy sanctions on Putin, saying there was “clear evidence” that the Russian leader was “playing America as a patsy.”
As recently as Wednesday, Trump’s ire had been primarily trained on Zelenskyy, who objected to the U.S.-backed peace plan.
“I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelenskyy,” Trump said at the White House on Wednesday, comparing Zelenskyy with Putin. “So far, it’s been harder.”
But on Saturday, Trump seemed to be losing patience with Putin. After issuing his warning to the Russian leader, Trump posted an image showing him and Zelenskyy in the Vatican, where they had gathered before Pope Francis’ funeral.
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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
By Tim Balk/Eric Lee
c. 2025 The New York Times Company
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