Washington: US President Donald Trump sends mixed signals to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This back and forth has left many people combined, especially since the war in Ukraine lights up. World leaders are looking closely, uncertain of what Trump will do then – and if his words will turn into a real action to provoke peace in Ukraine.
The republican billionaire, who came into office in January, promising to end the war “in 24 hours”, long seemed to his side of his Russian counterpart, frequently speaking of him with gushing admiration.
Volodymyr Zelensky, on the other hand, was a frequent target of Trump’s anger, as we can see with the spectacular dressing of the Ukrainian chief during a tense oval office meeting in March.
But the American president has shown growing frustration of Putin’s position in truce negotiations in dead end with kyiv.
And in the statements made on Sunday, Trump, who faces growing calls from the Republican legislators to adopt a more difficult position against Putin, seemed to change his tone.
After Moscow sparked a particularly deadly drone dam against his western neighbor, Trump said on his social platform of truth that he believed that Putin “wanted all of Ukraine”.
Pursuing such a objective, he warned in a rare reprimand of the Russian chief, “will lead to the fall of Russia!”
‘Absolutely crazy’
“I have always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something happened to him. He has gone absolutely crazy!”
There was little sign that his criticisms had an impact, with the spokesperson for Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, suggesting on Monday that the “very critical moment” was charged with “emotional reactions”.
And after Trump’s explosion, Moscow pulled 355 drones to Ukraine overnight in the biggest attack of this type since the invasion of Moscow in 2022, according to kyiv – one day after the Russian strikes killed 13 people.
The assault of the Russia weekend came while diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war intended to be intensified, with an exchange of prisoners and direct talks between the two parties.
European leaders have expressed the hope that Trump’s expressed anger could cause an upcoming passage.
“President Trump realizes that when President Putin said on the phone that he was ready for peace, or said to his envoys that he was ready for peace, he lied,” Emmanuel Macron, journalists on a trip to Vietnam told.
“We have seen once again these last hours, Donald Trump expresses his anger, a form of impatience,” said the French president.
“I just hope that this translates into action.”
American credibility “at stake”
Macron said it was time to threaten Russia “much more massive sanctions” to persuade him to end the conflict.
“The credibility of the United States is at stake.”
But we still do not know which path Trump could choose in the coming days, especially since he has not released his incessant criticism towards the chief of Ukraine.
In his article on social networks on Sunday, Trump also criticized Zelensky, who had warned earlier than “the silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin”.
Zelensky “did not make favors to his country by speaking as he does,” wrote Trump.
“Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it’s better to stop,” he said.
While rinking with his fanfare, the achievements of Trump’s foreign policy remain rather lean, whether on Ukraine, the Iranian nuclear program or the war that rages in Gaza.
During his first mandate, Trump also boasted of unique access and crushing potential, including meetings with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Although unprecedented for a Western leader, these meetings do not seem to be doing little to change the provocative behavior of Kim.
