President Trump stated on Thursday that he made “no progress” during his recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Trump spoke to reporters as he was leaving for Iowa, explaining that the call, which lasted for a long time, covered various topics, including Iran and the war in Ukraine. Trump said, “I’m not happy about that,” referring to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
When asked if any progress had been made toward ending the war, Trump responded, “No, I didn’t make any progress with him today at all.”
Trump’s Call with Putin and Pentagon’s Move
The call between Trump and Putin occurred just one day after the Pentagon announced that it would halt the delivery of some air defense missiles and munitions to Ukraine. The Pentagon cited concerns over U.S. military stockpiles being depleted.
Trump downplayed the significance of the decision to pause some weapons shipments to Ukraine. “We’re giving weapons, and we’re working with them and trying to help them,” Trump said. “But we have — you know, Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons. And we have to make sure we have enough for ourselves.”
U.S. Support for Ukraine
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine. However, many of Trump’s allies have shown skepticism about continued American support for Ukraine.
On the other hand, Democrats, a small group of Republicans, and European allies have warned that abandoning Ukraine would give Putin a major victory.
Trump’s Campaign Pledge
Trump has previously campaigned on a promise to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours. He has since described this timeline as sarcastic, but he has struggled to make significant progress in bringing the conflict to an end.
Throughout the war, Trump has criticized both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at various times.