President Donald Trump has issued a warning to President Vladimir Putin as he makes his first public comments following Pope Francis’ funeral.
In a post on Truth Social, the 78-year-old Republican addressed The New York Times’ coverage of the peace deal being negotiated by the Trump administration.
He stated: “With all of that being said, there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days.
“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!”
The attack he is referring to involved a prolonged assault of missiles and drones on a residential neighborhood in Kyiv during the early hours of Thursday morning (April 24), local time.
At least nine people were killed and more than 90 injured, marking it as the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital since last July amid escalating peace negotiations.
Commenting on the attacks on the day they occurred, Trump posted on Truth Social: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump were photographed meeting before Pope Francis’ funeral. The photo shows the two leaders sitting across from each other in St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.
This meeting marks the first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Zelenskyy since their high-profile discussion in the Oval Office aired on national television in February.
The 78-year-old Republican president has previously criticized his Ukrainian counterpart, but it appears they have reconciled.
Reflecting on their meeting, Zelenskyy tweeted: “Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people.
“Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you @POTUS.”
It remains uncertain whether Putin will agree to the peace deal.