US President Donald Trump has announced that he has given the green light for sending more defensive military aid to Ukraine and is weighing the possibility of implementing new sanctions on Russia.
“We’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I’ve approved that,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Trump also expressed his displeasure with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I'm not happy with Putin. I can tell you that much right now," he declared, citing the heavy losses on both Russian and Ukrainian sides in the current war.
The President further stated that he is presently considering a bipartisan bill before the Senate, which seeks sweeping sanctions against Moscow.
His remarks came after a previous statement on Monday, where he assured that Washington would once again provide arms to Kyiv. The decision was made just after Russia announced new gains in territory, heightening the tension on the battlefield.
Speaking at the White House, Trump acknowledged the dire situation facing Ukraine. “We’re going to have to send more weapons — defensive weapons primarily?” he told reporters. “They’re getting hit very, very hard,” he added, reinforcing his stance that he remains “not happy” with Putin’s actions.
Trump's renewed pledge to arm Ukraine came after an interim slowdown in US weapons shipments, a move that left Ukrainian authorities scrambling for an explanation from Washington.
In another encounter just days prior at Joint Base Andrews, Trump expressed his exasperation with the lack of progress toward ending the war during a recent telephone call with President Putin.
"We discussed many issues, including Iran, and we spoke about the war in Ukraine too. I'm not satisfied with that [situation]," he stated. "I didn't succeed in making any progress with him whatsoever," he further added, with a sense of disappointment over the halted diplomatic talks.
The phone call between the two leaders, according to Kremlin senior aide Yuri Ushakov, took almost an hour. Ushakov reported that Trump had appealed for an end to hostilities, while Putin emphasized Moscow's determination to finding a political resolution, citing talks during the second round of peace negotiations in Istanbul.
An announcement from the office of Russian President Putin affirmed the issues discussed on the call. "Donald Trump has again brought up the question of ending the hostilities as quickly as possible. Vladimir Putin, in reply, reported that we continued to seek a political, negotiated resolution of the conflict," the announcement stated.
It also said Putin had informed Trump about humanitarian arrangements and reasserted Russia's resolve to achieve its goals. "Russia will not retreat from these objectives," the Kremlin said, referencing the necessity to eradicate the causes of the ongoing conflict.
Ushakov also indicated that the two leaders touched upon the Iran situation and more general developments in the Middle East, with a comprehensive exchange of views on regional stability.
