US President Donald Trump has claimed Russia’s bombing blitz of Ukraine is “what anybody else would do” after lauding his hailing his health relationship with Vladimir Putin.
Trump, who was criticised for his public showdown with Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last month, said he found it easier to deal with Russia than Ukraine, claiming the Putin “wants to end the war … and I think he’s going to be more generous than he has to be”.
Trump had threatened Russia with “large-scale banking sanctions, sanctions, and tariffs” unless it agreed to a ceasefire but also halted intelligence sharing with Kyiv in a hammer blow to the ex-Soviet state.
However, speaking from the Oval Office last night, the US President said: “I think we’re doing very well with Russia and right now they’re bombing the hell out of Ukraine.”
Trump, who has been criticised for his trust in Putin, said he found it easier to deal with Russa than Ukraine
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He added: “I’m finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine and they don’t have the cards … I find that in terms of getting a final settlement, it may be easier dealing with Russia, which is surprising, because they have all the cards.”
“They’re bombing the hell out of them [Ukraine] right now. And I put out … a very strong statement … We’re trying to help them and Ukraine has to get on the ball and get a job done.”
When asked if Putin’s attacks were taking advantage of the pause in US military aid to Ukraine, Trump claimed the Russian leader was “doing what anybody else would do”.
The US President emphasised his bond and trust in Putin, reiterating that he believes the Russian leader “wants to end the war”.
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He said: “I think I do know how to end the war … I’ve always had a good relationship with Putin. He wants to end the war. He wants to end it.”
“I think he’s going to be more generous than he has to be. That’s pretty good. That means a lot of good things.”
The impact of Trump’s decision to block intelligence sharing with Ukraine has been strong, with Ukrainian sources claiming Russia launched a series of heavy attacks on infrastructure and civilian targets.
Trump said that before sharing intelligence again, he needs to know that Ukraine is ready to “settle”.
Trump said that before sharing intelligence again, he needs to know that Ukraine is ready to “settle”
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“I don’t know that they want to settle. If they don’t want to settle, we’re out of there,” he said.
Speaking on Friday evening, Zelensky reiterated that his country was seeking peace as soon as possible, and had already proposed concrete steps.
He added: “Every day, new Russian strikes and reality itself prove that it is Russia that must be forced to peace — to stop the war, to real diplomacy, to guarantee security and to a reliable, lasting peace.”
According to a British Government source, the decision to stop intelligence sharing has shocked many in the Ministry of Defence, adding that they believed Trump and Vance were prepared to have “blood on their hands”.
Speaking last month about US military presence in Germany, Vance said: “Do you think that the American taxpayer is going to stand for that if you get thrown in jail in Germany for posting a mean tweet?”
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The source said: “It’s essentially blindfolding the majority of their weapons and air defences. The fact that Trump and Vance are prepared to have civilian blood on their hands shows just how reckless they are. Putin’s the only one sleeping soundly at night — that’s for sure.”
The US President may bring back plans from his first term, to move out a large amount of the 35,000 US troops and other personnel based in Germany. Previously, Trump linked this to Germany being “delinquent” on defence funding.
Speaking last month about US military presence in Germany, Vance said: “Think about this. Germany’s entire defence is subsidised by the American taxpayer. There are thousands upon thousands of American troops in Germany today. Do you think that the American taxpayer is going to stand for that if you get thrown in jail in Germany for posting a mean tweet? Of course they’re not.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that France was a “loyal and faithful” ally to the US. This came after warnings from Trump that Nato member countries that did not meet their defence spending target of 2 per cent of GDP would not be defended by the US.
“If you’re not going to pay, we’re not going to defend them,” Trump said on Thursday.
Article 5 of the founding treaty states that an attack against one ally is considered an attack against all.