President Donald Trump and Ukrainian acting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by phone yesterday. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, reported Reuters, that he had a good call with Zelenskyy, repeating that he was “very unhappy” about his call with Putin a day earlier, given what he called the Russian leader’s refusal to work on a ceasefire—a reference to Putin’s repeatedly stated policy that Russia is open to a ceasefire, but only if the “root causes” of the Ukraine war are addressed—NATO’s blatant use of Ukraine to destroy Russia; the nazification of the country and its military; the ban of the Russian language; etc.
Asked whether the United States would agree to supply more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, as requested by Zelenskyy, Trump said: “They’re going to need them for defense.... They’re going to need something because they’re being hit pretty hard.”
Asked about the prospects for a ceasefire, a frustrated Trump said, “It’s a very tough situation.... I was very unhappy with my call with President Putin. He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people—it’s no good.” Trump also confirmed that he and Putin discussed sanctions. “I would say he [Putin] is not thrilled with it, but you know, he’s been able to handle sanctions, but these are pretty biting sanctions.” Putin, Trump added, is fully aware that the U.S. could ramp up the pressure. “You know, he’s a professional. It may be coming,” he said.
