- U.S. President Donald Trump condemned a recent strike on Ukraine, speaking directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Truth Social post on Thursday, writing "Vladimir, STOP!" and advocating for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
- Trump posted in response to the latest attack on Ukraine, which killed 10 and injured many more.
- The United States has announced its intention to leave the peacemaking process between Russia and Ukraine if the leaders of those countries will not accept ceasefire terms.
On Thursday, Russian forces bombed Kyiv, killing at least 10 and injuring at least 90, according to reports.
The attack triggered a post from President Donald Trump on his social media platform Truth Social, where he addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin directly.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!” Trump wrote.
No peace deal is yet in sight for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but in recent weeks, Trump has increasingly expressed his dissatisfaction with the war, including calling it “senseless,” demanding that Russia “get moving” toward concluding the war, and on Easter sharing his hope that Russia and Ukraine could achieve peace that same week.
He said that if they did, both countries would be able to “start to do big business with the United States of America.”
On Wednesday, the day before Trump’s social media post, Vice President JD Vance told reporters that if Russia and Ukraine did not agree to American ceasefire terms, then the United States would exit the peacemaking process.
“Enough is enough. The president’s frustrated, his patience is running very thin,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters outside the White House on Wednesday.
State of the relationship between Trump and Putin
The Biden administration frequently and strongly censured Russia for its actions against Ukraine.
Since taking office, Trump has partially reversed course, including by voting against a United Nations resolution that condemned Moscow and supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity; excluding Russia from additional tariffs; and taking lengthy phone calls from the Russian leader, after which he described their relationship in warm terms. Trump and Putin have planned for an “improved bilateral relationship,” per Leavitt, which will include “enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability.”
In a call between Trump and Putin, the Russian president also reportedly agreed to plans that included a ceasefire on energy and infrastructure, with an end goal of a “full ceasefire and permanent peace.” So far, Putin’s promises on this front have not yet been realized.
Nevertheless, Putin has gone to lengths to preserve the relationship between himself and Trump, including gifting the president a portrait of himself last month.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said that Trump “was clearly touched” by the portrait and described it as “beautiful.”
Nevertheless, the Trump White House’s relationship with the Kremlin has become strained as Putin continues to decline American-brokered peace proposals.
On March 30, Trump told NBC News that he was “very angry” and “pissed off” by Putin’s criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership, saying that Putin’s comments were “not going in the right location.”
Trump has additionally promised that if he believes Russia to be at fault for blocking a ceasefire deal, then he will levy tariffs on Russia.
What are the conditions for a ceasefire?
Putin has stated that he supports the idea of a ceasefire, “but there are questions that we need to discuss” — including if the ceasefire will tacitly serve as time for Ukraine to mobilize and strengthen its military forces and who will run the Ukrainian government.
Additionally, Putin has continually rejected American attempts at a ceasefire, even though analysts agree that terms have slanted in Russia’s favor.
Zelenskyy has said he is committed to American leadership brokering the ceasefire. Kyiv agreed to the ceasefire that Russia rejected, and following a tense meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump in March, Zelenskyy said “nobody wants more peace than Ukrainians.”
A recent report from The New York Times found that, between Russia and Ukraine, a staggering number of soldiers have died so far, with Russia having lost as many as 300,000 and Ukraine as many as 70,000.