President Donald Trump said he was “absolutely” considering new sanctions against Russia as Moscow’s deadly campaign of missile and drone strikes across much of Ukraine extended into a third night.
Trump’s comments, made to reporters in New Jersey on Sunday before he boarded Air Force One, came as he grows visibly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the state of talks meant to deliver a ceasefire in Ukraine. The US president has repeatedly threatened new sanctions in the past without following through.
“I’m not happy with what Putin is doing,” Trump said before Moscow’s latest barrage. “He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin. I’ve known him a long time — always gotten along with him — but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
Trump in a Truth Social post later on Sunday said that Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY!”
“I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” Trump said after he returned to Washington.
The US president has so far failed to force Putin to the negotiating table as his deadline to end the conflict within the first 100 days of taking office came and went. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Trump thinks Russia will likely walk away from Ukraine peace talks if the US threatens more sanctions.
But Senate Republicans warned last week that they’re prepared to pass new economic penalties if Putin refuses to engage in truce talks or breaches an eventual agreement. The bill includes a 500% tariff on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, petroleum products, natural gas or uranium, according to a draft of the bill seen by Bloomberg News.
Russian missiles and drones barraged Ukraine for a third consecutive night. There were explosions in the capital Kyiv, as well as regions across the country where private homes and local facilities were damaged, according to local and national officials posting on Telegram.
Andriy Yermak, an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said on his Telegram channel that “Moscow is stalling even the discussion of proposals — offering no specifics, only wasting time. The only way to make Moscow move faster is through sanctions and weapons.”
Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday at least 12 people were killed in the previous night of Russian airstrikes, prompting Zelenskiy to renew his call for more sanctions. The attacks coincided with a third day of prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump repeatedly questioned “what’s wrong” with Putin as he addressed reporters at the airport. “We’re in the middle of talking, and he’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities,” he said. “I don’t like it at all.”
Trump blamed Zelenskiy, along with Putin and former US President Joe Biden, for the war.
“President Zelenskiy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does,” he said in the Truth Social post. “Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop.”
Russia said on Monday it repelled 96 drones overnight with some targeting Moscow and causing flight disruptions at major airports in the Russian capital region.
Last week, Ukraine targeted central Russia with drones nearly continuously for several days, which differed from previous strikes that typically occurred overnight.