US President Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy” with a phone call he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous day that failed to produce progress toward ending the war in Ukraine.
“It’s a very difficult situation. I told you I was very unhappy with the conversation with President Putin. He wants to go all the way, to keep killing people, that’s not good,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
He hinted that he might be willing to tighten sanctions on Russia, after avoiding them for the past six months while trying to convince Putin to end the war.
“We’re talking a lot about sanctions,” Trump said of his call with Putin, adding that the Russian president “understands that could happen.”
Trump added that he also had a “very strategic conversation” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, amid growing concerns in Kiev over deliveries of US military aid.
