President Donald Trump issued a public warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, suggesting that the Kremlin leader may no longer be serious about ending the war in Ukraine. The remarks came hours after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at St. Peter's Basilica during the funeral of Pope Francis.
"There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "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, through 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions'? Too many people are dying!!!"
The comments mark some of Trump's strongest public criticism of Putin since the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. They also signal growing frustration inside the White House, as U.S.-led peace efforts near a critical juncture.
On Friday, Trump had struck a more optimistic tone, writing that Russia and Ukraine were "very close" to reaching a ceasefire deal. "They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to 'finish it off,'" he posted after landing in Rome.
During the brief meeting between Trump and Zelensky on Saturday, the leaders discussed prospects for a full and unconditional ceasefire. White House communications director Steven Cheung said the conversation was "very productive," while Zelensky called it a "good meeting" with "potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results."
Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the two discussed "protecting lives of our people," securing "full and unconditional ceasefire," and achieving a "reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out."
The face-to-face meeting, their first since a contentious Oval Office encounter in February, occurred against the backdrop of renewed Russian missile strikes on Kyiv. At least eight people were killed in the latest bombardment, which Trump described as "very bad timing" and "not necessary."
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said Friday that recent discussions between Russia and the U.S. had explored the possibility of resuming direct peace negotiations. However, U.S. officials have warned that patience is running thin. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this month that "we are now reaching a point where we need to decide and determine whether this is even possible or not."
Putin, speaking Saturday, claimed the Ukrainian military had suffered "huge losses" and said Kyiv's offensive had "failed completely," according to Russian state media. He praised the performance of Russian troops and emphasized that Ukraine's Western-supplied units had been heavily damaged.
