Trump finds fault with both Putin and Zelenskyy as he tries to push for
deal to end war in Ukraine
[March 31, 2025]
By CHRIS MEGERIAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump lashed out at both Vladimir
Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, expressing frustration with the
Russian and Ukrainian leaders as he struggles to forge a truce to end
the war.
Although Trump insisted to reporters that “we’re making a lot of
progress,” he acknowledged that “there’s tremendous hatred” between the
two men, a fresh indication that negotiations may not produce the swift
conclusion that he promised during the campaign.
Trump began voicing his criticisms in an early morning interview with
NBC News while he was at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida. He
said he was “angry, pissed off” that Putin questioned Zelenskyy’s
credibility.
The Russian leader recently said that Zelenskyy lacks the legitimacy to
sign a peace deal and suggested that Ukraine needed external governance.
Trump said he would consider adding new sanctions on Russia, which
already faces steep financial penalties, and using tariffs to undermine
its oil exports.
The Republican president rarely criticizes Putin, and he’s previously
attacked Zelenskyy’s credibility himself. For example, Trump has
suggested that Ukraine caused the war that began with a Russian invasion
three years ago, and he’s insisted that Zelenskyy should hold elections
even though it’s illegal under Ukraine’s constitution to do so during
martial law.
On his flight back to Washington on Sunday evening, Trump reiterated his
annoyance toward Putin but somewhat softened his tone.
“I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word,” he said. “I’ve known
him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.”
Asked when he wanted Russia to agree to a ceasefire, Trump said there
was a “psychological deadline.”
“If I think they’re tapping us along, I will not be happy about it,” he
said.
Trump soon pivoted to criticize Zelenskyy.
“He’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal, ” Trump said, referring
to negotiations over U.S. access to critical minerals in Ukraine. “And
if he does that he’s got some problems. Big, big problems.”
Trump and Zelenskyy were supposed to sign the deal when the Ukrainian
leader visited the White House. However, their meeting ended with
acrimony that played out in front of television cameras in the Oval
Office.
Trump suggested on Sunday that Zelenskyy wanted to “renegotiate the
deal” to get better security guarantees.
“He wants to be a member of NATO,” he said. “Well, he was never going to
be a member of NATO. He understands that.”
The U.S. has been pushing for a comprehensive ceasefire deal between
Russia and Ukraine to peacefully end their 3-year-old war.
[to top of second column]
|
President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he walks on the South
Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP
Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and
full 30-day halt in the fighting, and the feasibility of a partial
ceasefire on the Black Sea was thrown into doubt after Kremlin
negotiators imposed far-reaching conditions.
Trump’s comments on Putin come after weeks of intense pressure on
Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire.
Russian drones hit Ukraine's 2nd largest city Kharkiv
Meanwhile, Russian drones hit a military hospital, shopping center
and apartment blocks in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv,
killing two people and wounding dozens.
Ukraine’s General Staff denounced the “deliberate, targeted
shelling” of the military hospital late Saturday. Among the
casualties were service members who were undergoing treatment, it
said. Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said those killed were a
67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman.
According to Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian
forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the
coming weeks to maximize pressure on Kyiv and strengthen the
Kremlin’s negotiating position in ceasefire talks.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia fired 111 exploding drones
and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Sunday. It
said 65 of them were intercepted and another 35 were lost, likely
having been electronically jammed.
Zelenskyy said Sunday that over the past week “most regions of
Ukraine” came under Russian attack. Writing on X, he said “1,310
Russian guided aerial bombs, over 1,000 attack drones — mostly
‘Shaheds’ — and nine missiles of various types, including ballistic
ones” had been launched against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also repeated his assertion that “Russia is dragging out
the war," echoing comments he made Thursday in Paris that Russia is
prolonging ceasefire talks "just to buy time and then try to grab
more land.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, said its air defense
systems shot down six Ukrainian drones. It also claimed Sunday that
its troops had taken control of a village in Ukraine’s partly
occupied Donetsk region. The Russian claim could not be
independently verified, and Ukraine did not comment.
___
With reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
